Harry Wolf, A Fable Among Wizards
by brown phantom
Summary: Long ago they were forced away from their homes. Now they live among us, seen but never known. They are the Fables, the legends in exile. And they have a new member, the Boy-Who-Lived.
1. Prologue

**Prologue: War Ends, Life Begins**

_Green Park, England, November 200__1_

A man appeared out of nowhere at the entrance of Green Park. This man was tall with silver hair and beard, who looked like a kindly old grandfather just out for a stroll. He had sparkly blue eyes behind square-lensed glasses added to this semblance, though the long robes with a purple cloak clashed with that. If anyone was there to see him, they might suspect he was some sort of cosplayer or had a touch of senility.

The man rummaged in his cloak for a moment, trying to find something. When he stopped, he pulled out a silver cigarette lighter. Before he did anything with it, he noticed that he was being watched by a cat hiding by some bushes.

Normal people would pay this no mind, seeing just another stray and ignore it like any other. But this was no ordinary man.

"I should have known you'd come this way Minerva." He said with an amused chuckle, flicking open the cigarette lighter. At that moment the nearest street light went out, with the light appearing to be pulled into the lighter as if vacuumed. He clicked the lighter several more times and this same phenomenon happened with all other street lights in the vicinity, covering the place in significant darkness.

"So what's on your mind my dear?" He asked, closing the lighter and sitting on a bench, looking at the cat as if expecting it to answer.

The cat stepped towards him and started to grow, morphing into a full grown and fully clothed woman dressed in an emerald cloak and black hair tied in a bun. She looked a bit ruffled, as if she had just gotten out of an uncomfortable position and needed to stretch. "How did you know it was me Sir?"

"I've never seen a normal cat sit so stiffly." He replied. "And we're not on duty here, you can address me by name Professor"

"You'd be stiff too if you sat on the pavement all day Headmaster." McGonagall commented.

"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."

McGonagall sniffed impatiently. "Oh yes everyone's celebrating alright, you think they'd be a bit more careful about it. But they're not, they're getting careless in their excitement. Even the muggles are noticing the festivities, it was on their news. Flocks of owls, shooting stars, despite what those overzealous types think the muggles are not stupid. Shooting stars down at Kent, now that was stupid. I'll bet that was Daedalus Diggle, he never had much sense."

"You can't blame them, we've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years." Dumbledore told her.

"I know that!" McGonagall said, irritated. "But it's only been two days since the Dark Lord was killed. People are being careless, and it is only a matter of time till the Dragon Council and Ministry will do something about it."

"Don't worry mate, the Dragon Council is willing to let it slide for the time being since he's gone and we're in the mood to celebrate too." A new voice interjected. "He is gone right?"

Appearing into view was a man of about thirty wearing a blue blazer over a red shirt. He had short but spiked pepper-blonde hair, some freckles, a face that looked like it was always ready to smile, and around his neck a set of headphones, the cord leading into a pocket.

"Ah David I didn't expect you to be here. And yes it certainly seems so. We have much to be thankful for." Dumbledore answered. "Would you both care for a lemon drop?"

"No thanks, I prefer Jelly Bellies and Mars Bars."

"Well, even if You-Know-Who is gone-" McGonagall started.

"My dear professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his real name." Dumbledore interrupted. "All this 'you know who' nonsense, it just made people more afraid of him. Voldemort is not going to pop out of thin air just because you say his name. He's not Beetlejuice."

McGonagall flinched, but also looked confused. "Beetle juice? Is that some new flavor for Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans?"

"No, it's a movie from America about a wisecracking ghost. But now that you mention it, I wouldn't be surprised if those beans did have such a flavor." Dumbledore clarified.

"I got to agree with Dumbledore here. It got really annoying to keep saying You-Know-Who over the years. And by constantly addressing him by title rather than name, it does kind of make people forget that in the end he was still a normal wizard. A very powerful and very twisted wizard, but a wizard nonetheless." David commented.

"But it's different, everyone knows that Dumbledore is the only person You-Know..." McGonagall paused when she saw Dumbledore look a little annoyed at her force of habit. "Oh alright, the only person _Voldemort_ was frightened of. And you David are the British Dragon, guardian of the magical creatures in this country. You _had_ to act like you weren't afraid of him or else it would have demoralized most of our forces."

"You flatter me Minerva, but don't forget Voldemort did have powers I will never have. My victory was never guaranteed." Dumbledore pointed out.

"Only because you are too… well, noble to use them."

"It's lucky it is dark, I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey said she liked my new earmuffs."

That made David chuckle and McGonagall sent a sharp look at Dumbledore. "The owls are nothing compared to the rumors flying around, about why he has disappeared and what finally stopped him."

"Oh, and what are they saying?" David asked, wanting to get an idea on how crazy and disproportionate the rumors already were.

McGonagall cleared her throat first. "What they are saying is that... Voldemort, still a bit uncomfortable saying that."

"Again, he's not apparating here." Dumbledore claimed, waving one hand around the area to prove his point.

"Anyway, on Halloween night he turned up in Godric's Hollow to find the Potters, and the rumor is that Lily and James Potter are… are… that they are dead?" McGonagall continued.

Dumbledore slowly bowed his head and David clenched his fist at the news at which McGonagall gasped.

"I can't believe it. I didn't want to believe it. Oh Albus..."

Dumbledore patted her on the shoulder. "I know, I know."

Wiping her eyes, McGonagall continued. "He then tried to kill the Potter's son Harry but he couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why or how." Dumbledore nodded glumly and let her continue. "After all he has done? All the people he has killed? He couldn't kill a little boy? It's astounding, of all the things to stop him, but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"

"We can only guess so far." Dumbledore then looked at his watch which had only planets for hands. "Hagrid's late, I suppose it was he who told you two?"

"Yes." McGonagall nodded.

David shook his head. "No, I was on patrol. But that raises a few questions. What are you two gonna do with Harry?"

"It's hard to say. James and Lily have no living relatives, not even within the muggle community. But it wouldn't be right to put Harry in an orphanage. With the kind of attention he'd get at a wizarding one we'd risk him turning into a second Voldemort, and the risks of him accidentally casting magic in a muggle orphanage is even worse." Dumbledore theorized.

"Didn't the parents name legal guardians in case this happened?" David asked.

"That's something I'm having Hagrid check out while he watches over the child. We've had to keep him hidden in case any Death Eaters decided to make their leader a martyr. Just because the leader died didn't mean the followers died with him."

There was a low but growing sound of a motor heading towards them, but this sound was coming from all places above them instead of on the street. After a while, a motorbike with a passenger side-car descended from the air and came to a park.

"Must you be so loud Hagrid?" McGonagall criticized, hoping no one had heard the bike coming.

The big and burly driver of the vehicle stood up and smiled. "Well ma'am, I was gonna use a broom ter get here, but silly me I musta fergotten ter grab it. After all, they make brooms in me size by the dozens don' they?"

"Who's this with you Hagrid?" Dumbledore asked, noting that the half-giant didn't come here alone like anticipated. Seated in the side-car was a man who gave off an almost feral but at the same time refined aura. And in his arms at the moment was a bundle of cloth, which the old wizard had a very good idea regarding.

"Well when I got ter the Potter's You-Know-Who was gone, but this bloke was there." Hagrid answered. "Had ter make sure he ain't no Death Eater. And wouldn' bring him 'ere if I weren' convinced he was one o' the good guys."

"Yes but who is he?" David asked as the man stepped out.

"My name is Bigby, and I'm going to be looking after this child." He responded in a gruff but clearly American accent.

"Hold on, I thought Sirius was the boy's godfather." Dumbledore countered.

McGonagall looked to her superior. "Albus that man is locked away in Azkaban! He just killed twelve muggles the other day!"

"I know but that's not the point. James and Lily already had a godparent selected for their son."

"Well since you claim that man is unfit for the job who else will it go to?" Bigby grunted, almost like he was challenging them to refuse him.

"Did the parents have any relatives that can look over the boy?" David asked.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Sadly we have not found any yet. The Potter clan appears to be extinct, and Lily's family is completely unknown to us."

"Of course they are. You people in this country don't consider her kind worth keeping track of." Bigby said in an accusing way.

"You've sure got nerve." McGonagall reprimanded.

"What do you mean? Are you saying the mother's family was muggle?" David asked.

"Nope. They were Fable."

"Fable?" McGonagall repeated, looking like the word didn't mean anything to her. However that was not the case with Dumbledore and David.

"That would explain the lack of history of Lily's family. Tell me, are you related to her?" The old wizard asked.

"Biologically no, but I am the one who raised her. She was like a daughter to me, and when she asked me to watch over her child if anything happened to her you couldn't make me say no." Bigby answered.

"Do you have proof of a connection to her?" David asked.

Bigby handed a book, which David took. He opened it and saw it was a photo album, showing several pictures of this man with a girl who got older over various photos. These were clearly muggle photos since they didn't move, but they showed the faces clear enough.

Dumbledore looked over David's shoulders. "I recognize her, that's Lily Potter, maiden name Wolf." A few photos showed Lily at her wedding with Bigby attending, and same with Harry's birth.

"Not exactly what I would call conclusive proof, but enough to make me take you seriously for now." David said, handing Bigby the book back.

"You mean all this time Lily was actually a Fable?" Dumbledore asked.

"What is a Fable?" McGonagall asked, since like most people when she heard the word something else came to mind.

"Let's call it someone who's not quite a wizard but definitely not a muggle." Dumbledore answered cryptically then looked back to Bigby. "From what I understand, the majority of the world's Fable population lives in America."

"That a problem?" Bigby challenged.

"It would be better for the child to remain here in England."

Bigby lightly narrowed his eyes. "Give me a good reason why."

"I have reason to believe that the young boy in your arms will be what finishes the war against the Dark Lord once and for all." Dumbledore explained.

Bigby frowned. "From what I heard this Voldemort guy is already dead."

"Surely as a Fable you know not everyone stays dead." The old wizard claimed. "Voldemort may be dead for the time being, but surely he has prepared a means to come back. Young Harry there when he's older and trained may very well be the one to end the Evil One for good."

"And where did you hear this?"

Dumbledore pursed his lips. "I have my sources."

Bigby held his stern look. "So that's it huh? You have no intention of telling me? You think I can't read between the lines Merlin? I'm a sheriff, separating the truth from bullshit is what I'm paid to do."

"Language sir!" McGonagall chewed out.

"So what's it going to be old man? Either give me an actual legitimate reason to believe Lily's boy is better off here, or I'm taking him back home." Bigby threatened.

Dumbledore didn't answer right away. He didn't want to reveal the prophecy just yet. He knew prophecies had a tendency to cause more trouble than prevent, especially when multiple people tried to control them. And he couldn't exactly take the baby away when he admitted that it currently had no living relatives other than the man holding said baby. What was he going to say? 'Instead of letting you raise him I'm going to stick him in some orphanage so complete strangers can take him instead if at all?' Yeah, that would _really_ help his case.

"Tell you what," He said when an idea came to him. "You raised Lily when she was a child, yet you let her come to Hogwarts to learn magic right? Can you allow the same for Harry?"

"That was because of certain circumstances for her at the time. If similar circumstances exist for Harry when he's older, then I'll consider it. If not, then no."

"I suppose that's the best I can ask for. Would you like for us to convert a small portion of his inheritance into American money to help get you started on providing for him?" Dumbledore asked.

"That would be appreciated." Bigby admitted.

"Tell me sir, how will you care for this child?" David asked curiously. "Can you do it alone or do you have support back home?"

"Trust me, this child will have plenty of support."

"I just hope you don't make him a rude American." David replied.

Bigby smiled. "I'm a New Yorker."

David rolled his eyes. "He's doomed."

'I just hope this doesn't affect Harry too much. The Fables have much to offer him, but not all of them get to live happily ever after.' Dumbledore thought with much concern.

* * *

After a long legal process to gain official custody, followed by an equally long plane back, Bigby finally arrived in New York with baby in tow. Wading through the mundane people, or mundy as his people liked to call them, he soon found his ride waiting for him.

"So you actually did it." A beautiful woman with soft pale skin and shiny black hair asked, wearing a casual outfit consisting of a dark blue t-shirt and black pants. Her name was Snow, and her eyes went immediately to the sleeping baby in a seat carrier.

"I just wish I had gotten there sooner. Maybe then Lily would still be alive." Bigby lightly moaned.

"Both his parents are dead." Snow said sadly, rubbing the young boy's head in an attempt to soothe him. "You know in our world, that usually means something major is going to happen in his life down the line."

The two started walking out of the airport, completely ignored by the others inside. Bigby didn't bring any luggage with him so there was none to pick up here.

"I had some old wizard basically say the same. And he asked if I'd let the little guy stay in England, but he refused to say exactly why. Best I could get out of him was some crap about Harry here growing up to be their weapon someday."

"A weapon?" Snow repeated, in a tone that was a mixture of surprise and skepticism, as they got to her car.

Bigby put the baby inside safely then got in himself while Snow did the same and drove off. "Yeah, it seems that back in England there's some war of the witches going on that's currently at a standstill and their grand leader believes Lily's boy is going to be the one to end it once and for all. You don't have to be a genius to know what that means."

Snow frowned a bit but kept her eyes on the traffic. "No you don't. So how did you convince them to let him go into your custody if they wanted to use him like that?"

"Well I was fully prepared for a fight if it came to that, though good thing it didn't. One of the guys there had the scent of dragon on him."

"Dragon?" Snow asked. "They glamorized a dragon?"

"My nose says yes. Anyway, what really helped me was mostly calling them out on it. There I was, the closest thing to a legal guardian the kid could have, and they had nothing except some secret they wanted to keep secret. If we brought it to court, it's pretty clear who would have won."

"Well now that you have, what are you going to do? It's not going to be like when you found Lily." Snow asked, turning closer to their community.

"Tell me about it. I had a hard time with Lily but at least she was old enough to understand me and do a few things herself. With Harry, he's completely dependent on me." Bigby replied, glancing to the blissfully asleep infant in the back.

Snow sighed. "Tell you what, until you can find a nanny or something to help out I'll pitch in once in awhile."

Bigby smiled. "Didn't even have to ask, just like with Lily."

Snow frowned. "With Lily it was one thing. We so rarely ever have children Fables in town anymore. Everyone was glad to pitch in. Except the thirteenth floor but you know what I mean. With this boy, it's because you clearly need the help more."

"Speaking of which I need to get the thirteenth floor willing to do something this time. Given what's going on in England, I'd prefer not sending this kid back when he's older."

The car came to a stop outside a gated building located on Bulfinch Street. It was called the Woodland and it was the heart of the hidden community known as Fabletown.

"You think this boy will learn magic someday?" Snow asked as they got out of the car.

"Both his parents could, so it's very likely. At least as a half-Fable he gets the same legal status we get with MACUSA."

The two went inside the Woodland, passing the sleeping security guard and proceeded to the residential section. No one else was in the halls at the time, so they reached Bigby's apartment and went inside.

An unwelcome scent hit the sheriff's nose. "Colin!" He growled. "What are you doing here?"

On the couch watching tv was a pig with a cigarette in its mouth. "House-sitting while you were gone. What does it look like?"

"Put out that cigarette. There's a baby here." Bigby ordered.

"Buzzkill." Colin the pig groaned but did as told.

Snow looked to Bigby. "You know this means you can't smoke around him either."

"I know, and it's going to be hell on my nose."

_AN: Few things to point out here to avoid confusion down the line. First, Harry's mother Lily has a different background and origin that will be further explained later on, so in this universe the Dursleys do not exist. *rolls eyes* Like any of us are actually going to miss them._

_Second, __Harry's love life is not going to be a priority until he gets older, but I will warn you now that I intend to make it HarryxGinny when it is time. Don't even think of asking for otherwise, you will be ignored. However, at beta request, I am at least keeping open the possibility of a harem, though Hermione will not be included in it. She will be Harry's friend but not his lover._

_Third and final, the timing of the events will not be the same as it was in the HP canon. Most of this will happen in the 21st century instead of the canon timeline._


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Welcome to Fabletown**

_Fabletown, New York, July 2011_

"How's it going Bigby?" Snow asked as she set up a table in the apartment that Bigby called home. It was a modest apartment that clearly lacked a woman's touch, but it was livable for a man having custody of a child.

"Still no word on the cake, but Flycatcher says he's finished cleaning everything." He answered.

"Did you really need the janitor to clean this place for you?" Snow asked.

"There are going to be kids here. If anything I'll need the janitor for tomorrow more than today." He replied, making Snow snicker. "Oh, by the way, I got word from England this morning."

Snow quickly stopped what she was doing and looked at the sheriff. "Again?"

Bigby nodded. "Guy's being persistent. He keeps insisting that Harry come to his school and learn their forms of magic. Saying it's for the good of the world and all that crap. The way he talks about this Voldemort guy you'd swear he was trying to take down the Adversary himself."

"Let me guess, he still says that only Harry can end this threat once and for all yet refuses to tell you why he believes this. You're just supposed to trust him on this right?" Snow asked, and Bigby nodded again. "I'd love to give this guy a piece of my mind."

Bigby grinned at that thought.

"Where is the birthday boy by the way?" Snow asked.

* * *

If anyone were to look at Harry without knowing who he was, you'd never think he was anything other than just another normal eleven year old boy with brown hair and green eyes. He was healthy, happy, and well-adjusted, thanks to simply being raised like a normal kid in New York. At the moment he wore a red shirt with blue sleeves, denim jeans, and a Yankees baseball cap that hid his messy hair. His present location was the Central Park Zoo, accompanied by Boy Blue and Pinocchio.

"Enjoying yourself Harry?" Boy Blue asked. Despite the nursery rhyme he wasn't so little anymore, now he was a tall blonde man wearing a blue shirt and blue khakis.

"So far Boy Blue. Though it feels weird seeing animals that can't talk." Harry replied, passing by the polar bear exhibit.

"Personally I'm glad for that. I'm not a fan of talking animals." Pinocchio noted. No longer a wooden puppet, he looked like a close to that of ten years of age. He had dark hair, brown eyes, a bit of a perturbing lower lip, and wore a white shirt with black shorts. "Ever deal with a persistent cricket constantly trying to tell you not to have fun? I'm still glad I stepped on him."

"C'mon Pinocchio, what about Grandpa?" Harry asked.

"I don't think of him as an animal."

"Everyone else does." Boy Blue commented.

The trio soon enough made their way into the reptile house, pausing to see the various cold-blooded creatures held behind glass.

"Next time someone at the Farm complains about their living conditions we should tell them at least they're not at a zoo." Pinocchio joked.

"I hear they're complaining more often lately." Harry added when they stopped in front of a python exhibit. "Colin's been coming to Fabletown more and more often, saying everyone there is in a bad mood recently."

"Hey Harry, not to interrupt, but I swear that snake is looking at you." Boy Blue interjected.

Naturally Harry looked to confirm this, and it certainly did look like the python was looking directly at the boy with the lightning scar. But Harry just laughed sarcastically.

"Yeah Boy Blue, I'm sure one of the snakes up at the Farm came here to be in a zoo." He remarked. "Next he'll start talking to us."

_§'You got a problem with me boy?__'__§_ The snake asked with a New York accent.

Harry blinked. "Okay, apparently one of the snakes from the Farm _did _get here."

_§'Farm? I was bred in captivity.__'__§_ The snake protested.

"Why do you say that Harry?" Boy Blue asked.

Harry looked to the older male. "Didn't you hear him?"

Both Boy Blue and Pinocchio shook their heads.

_§'Hey kid, do me a favor and let me out of here. I want to see all the other places that visitors say is in this town.__'__§ _The snake requested. _§'What's that Statue of Liberty like? __How big is Times Square? __And is the pizza better in Brooklyn or Queens?'§_

"You guys really don't hear him?" Harry asked.

"Not a thing." Pinocchio repeated.

Confused, Harry moved on from the exhibit, despite the protesting of the python to be let out.

* * *

"Bigby sir?" A short-haired brunette woman dressed in blue came up to Bigby. "We got a problem."

"What is it Wendy?"

"That wizard you've been on edge about, he just appeared at JFK Airport."

Bigby quietly growled. "You positive?"

Wendy nodded. "Absolutely. He may be dressed as your average old man right now, but it's definitely him."

"Great, and there's only one reason he'd come all the way here to New York."

Snow came forward. "You think we can talk him out of it?"

"I dunno, I sure wouldn't go to another country just to go home empty-handed. He's going to be hard to get rid of."

"If I may, shouldn't the decision ultimately be Harry's?" Wendy asked.

"We do believe that. The problem is the other guy might not be so inclined to agree." Bigby said, and paused like he was thinking of what to do now. "Wendy, go ahead and approach the man. Let him know who you are and that you can bring him here. However, get any information out of him that you can and make it clear to him that we will not tolerate secrets from him if they have anything to do with Harry."

"You got it boss." Wendy said before disappearing into thin air as if she was never there.

* * *

'Ah New York. While I'm here I ought to see the Statue of Liberty.' Albus Dumbledore thought to himself as he made his way out of the airport. Dressed in normal civilian clothes, no one looking at him would ever guess he was considered to be the most powerful magic user alive. Whether or not he actually was, that was a cultural debate more than anything given that England didn't have all the wizards in the world.

Outside the airport, at the place where most people got into cars or taxis, was a woman dressed in blue holding a sign. Not an uncommon thing to see at an airport. However, this sign said Albus on it. And he knew for a fact that no one in America was aware of his arrival.

"Hello, I'm Albus Dumbledore. Were you expecting me?" He greeted the woman politely.

"No I'm expecting Albus Einstein. You know, the guy who keeps sticking his tongue out?" The woman replied snarkily, but lowered the sign and extended her hand. "My name is Wendy Darling, and I'll be your escort to Fabletown."

"Excellent. I've been anxious to see your community. Will there be any talking animals?" Dumbledore replied while shaking her hand.

"Not in the main district. If you ask nicely a trip to the Farm might be possible." She said before leading him away. "So what brings a renown wizard such as yourself all the way to the Big Apple?"

"You sure it's okay to speak so casual in a place like this?" Dumbledore asked, looking around at the normal populace who were paying them no mind.

"They're New Yorkers, as long as you don't make bomb threats they'll ignore whatever you say here." She assured. "To all the readers who thought that was a tasteless joke, I apologize."

"What do you mean 'readers'?" Dumbledore asked, looking confused.

Wendy simply shrugged. "You'll know what I mean in time. For now, just ignore my little quirks. You'll find we Fables have quite a few of them."

Dumbledore smiled. "So do we wizards."

"I'm assuming intercontinental travel isn't one of yours. So what brings you to Fabletown?" Wendy asked.

"I assumed you knew. Why else were you sent to pick me up?" The old wizard asked back.

"I just want to see if the answer you give matches the one my boss gave me." She replied.

Dumbledore kept his smile. "I'd like to make some people in your home an offer."

* * *

"Welcome back Harry." Snow greeted when the boy came back to the Woodland, hugging him briefly. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah I did. Though I think one of the snakes at the Farm somehow got into the zoo."

Snow arched an eyebrow. "Really? I'll get someone on that right away. But for now, today's about you. And your other friends finally showed up."

Harry smiled as she released him. "About time. What took them so long?"

"It's their summer too Harry. Now go have fun. But stay out of trouble." Snow insisted.

"Yes Miss White." Harry said before heading off into the ballroom.

Right away Harry noticed two kids close to his own age inside. One of them was a Chinese-American boy wearing a red shirt and denim shorts. The other was a Caucasian girl with short black hair and blue eyes wearing a yellow shirt and blue pants. Both of them were passing a basketball between themselves, being careful to avoid hitting anything.

"Hey guys." Harry called out, waving to them.

The boy caught the ball and smiled. "About time you showed up man. What took you so long?" He then tossed the ball towards Harry.

"Sorry Jake, I don't know how to fly." Harry remarked, catching the ball and putting it down. "Glad to see you got off work this early Coraline.

"Would have been here sooner, but I couldn't get out of working in the stockroom." The girl commented. "Anyway, what do we do first here?"

"I asked for laser tag if you guys could come along. Hopefully Grandpa hasn't changed his mind."

"Awesome!" Jake cheered. "Where is he anyway?"

"I'm not sure. And where's Percy? I thought he was here with you guys too." Harry muttered, bending over to pick the basketball back up.

Jake shrugged. "Haven't seen him yet."

Harry sighed. "Well, until he or Grandpa show up, wanna throw some hoops?"

Jake smiled. "You know it."

"What about Jane? You know, two boys vs two girls?" Coraline asked.

"Here I am." A girl with short black hair said, peeking out from under a couch. "By the way, did someone lose a wad of money wrapped up in a rubber band? Because I found a rubber band."

Everyone rolled their eyes. "Dumb joke Jane. Now get out of there."

The girl climbed out into the open. Now that she was fully visible, everyone could see that Jane wore a black tank top over a white shirt and a denim skirt over black leggings. With her ready the four kids left the ballroom then the Woodland, heading for one of the other buildings in Fabletown and entering. They waved to a few adults they knew along the way and took the elevator up to the roof, which had a basketball court ready for them.

"First to score eleven wins." Harry announced, beginning to dribble while Coraline and Jane took defense. Harry tried to fake towards his right but Coraline saw through it and batted the ball away from him. Jane and Jake rushed towards it, but Jake was a little faster and while he couldn't get the ball he did bat it out of Jane's reach.

"Thanks Jake." Harry said as he recovered the ball then made a toss over Coraline. It bounced off the rim but didn't go through the hoop. Jane jumped and caught the ball, now putting the boys on defense.

"Not enough shadows here to help you spookster." Jake teased, preventing her from passing to her partner.

Jane reached into her pocket and pulled out a silver coin. Jake saw it and briefly froze, then shook his head. Jane simply tossed it to the side and unfortunately Jake could not resist looking towards it, giving Jane an opening to pass the ball. Coraline caught it and then threw it towards the hoop. It went in.

"Girls score first!" Coraline cheered.

"Foul play! She cheated!" Jake protested.

"Not my fault you paid more attention to something shiny." Jane taunted, collecting the ball then tossing it to Harry.

"Get in the game Jake. Besides, it's just for fun." Harry advised, dribbling and trying to get around the girls.

* * *

Having left JFK Airport, Wendy drove Dumbledore to Fabletown through Queens then over the Queensboro Bridge. She took a bit of a scenic route mostly for traffic and to go ahead and let her passenger indulge in seeing the sights.

"I must say, this city has changed a lot since Grindelwald came here so many years ago." He commented as they drove through the East Side.

"Of course. Mundy society doesn't stay still, it's always trying to advance."

"Excuse me, but what do you mean by 'mundy'?" Dumbledore asked.

"Oh that's what we call the non-magical people. It's based on the word 'mundane'. I forget what the term used back in Europe is."

"We call them muggles." He clarified, still looking out the window. "How can things have changed so much in less than a century? I know that muggles have to be creative with their lack of magic, but when I was a kid over half this stuff didn't even exist. Has muggle society really changed that much in just a couple of decades?"

Wendy actually laughed at that. "Has society changed since the 1940s? Have you been living under a rock?"

Dumbledore looked a little flustered. "I'm aware that some things have changed, but nothing to this degree. There's electronics everywhere, so many automobiles, those flying machines I had to come here in. I thought most changes had been minor or cosmetic, but this is like a whole different world than the one I grew up in."

"Yeah that tends to happen when you live a long time. Though considering you're supposed to be an educator, that makes me wonder how qualified you are if you're this unaware of the outside world."

Dumbledore winced a little, knowing that this was not going to make him look good regarding the conversation he came here to have.

It didn't take them long to reach their destination. Wendy parked in front of the Woodland and made it clear to Dumbledore that he could exit the vehicle. He just saw a normal street with tall buildings and some more parked cars.

"So this is where we can find the entrance to Fabletown?" He asked.

Wendy shook her head. "Nope, we're already in Fabletown."

Dumbledore blinked. "Wait, you mean it's out in the open? For muggles to see?"

Wendy gestured for him to look around. "You see anything that's magical or out of the ordinary here? Anything that's supposed to be hidden?"

"But… but… oh I see, you have muggle repellent charms that make them avoid the area, is that it?"

Wendy shook her head. "Nope, they're completely free to walk on in here. Even shop here too. Nothing's keeping them away."

Dumbledore actually dropped his jaw to hear this. "But… but... what about the Statute of Secrecy? I know that MACUSA has their own version here too. Don't you abide by it at all?"

"Of course, we're allied with MACUSA. Have been since they got established in this country. We abide by the Statute of Secrecy, but that doesn't mean everything has to be hidden. We've got a mundy-safe public front with the more magical aspects hidden in the back. So we're hiding in plain sight. What, you don't?"

The aged wizard found himself unable to properly reply. He had been expecting the Fables to have their own equivalents of Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, and the various residential areas. Obscured and protected by all sorts of magical defenses and diversions. The idea of a magical society being out in the open with a muggle front was the kind of thing that would make most wizards, even the most open-minded ones, confused as hell.

"C'mon, let's go in. I'm pretty sure I know who you came here to see." Wendy added, leading him into the Woodland.

Dumbledore had to admit that the entry hall to the building was rather nice. It looked rather simple to him, just a large room with an elevator in the back by a large door to the right of it. Either side of the room had the opening to a stairway going up. To the left of the way in there was a sitting area of a sort, consisting of two couches and a table between them, and to the right was a security desk with a guard in uniform. Said guard had his hat over his face and was obviously sleeping.

The elevator dinged then opened, and out came Bigby practically pushing a pig out. "How the heck do you keep getting here Colin? You know you can't be here without a glamour."

"What, I can't drop by to say happy birthday to the kid? You used to be fun Bigby."

"I also used to go around on all fours and blow down little pig's houses. What's your point?" Bigby muttered, then looked ahead and perked. "Ah, Wendy you're back. I'll deal with you later Colin."

"Then I'll just go back up." Colin attempted, but Bigby nudged him away from the elevator. "Hardass."

Dumbledore smiled and walked over towards him with an extended hand. "Hello my good sir. If you don't remember me I'm Albus Dumbledore. And is this a talking pig?"

"Bigby Wolf and yes I do remember you." Bigby greeted back and accepting the handshake with some reluctance.

"My name's Colin. Nice to see someone who thinks I'm something special for once." The pig added.

"I'd like to talk more Mr. Dumbledore, but it's Harry's birthday and I'm supposed to take him and his friends to his next activity. Could you wait until later to make your recruitment speech for your school?" Bigby asked.

Dumbledore looked a little surprised by the bluntness but nodded. "But of course. I am on vacation so I am in no rush. And I wouldn't dream of trying to deprive a young boy of his birthday. I can wait until you and Harry are both ready."

"So until then, where will you be staying?" Wendy asked.

"I don't suppose Fabletown has a hotel here, do you?"

"Yes but not a good one. Though the price is right if you're going cheap. Oh I hope you have American money with you." Bigby advised.

Dumbledore smiled and pulled out a pouch. "As a matter of fact, I was able to convert some galleons into dragots before coming here."

Bigby shrugged. "Might work, but word of warning, we use mundy cash here more than wizard cash."

'Crap, I used all the muggle money just to get plane tickets for here and back.' Dumbledore thought. 'Next time I'm at the ICM I should see if we can extend the International Floo Network to include America.'

Bigby excused himself and walked out of the Woodland, and Colin took the opportunity to head back upstairs.

"C'mon, I'll show you that hotel." Wendy offered.

"Much appreciated."

The two started to walk out, but before they could the doors burst open and a blonde man with a ponytail wearing a black shirt and denim jeans ran past them like lions were trying to eat him or something. He came close to knocking them both over and didn't say a word in response, forgoing the elevator in favor of the stairs. It did not take long for them to hear a thump and a squeal and a crash.

"Agh! Dammit you sunnavabitch are you trying to break my back?!" Colin was heard shouting.

Wendy came over, followed by a curious Dumbledore, and they saw the blonde man collapsed on the stairs entangled with a sore swine.

"Geez Jack, what's gotten into you?" Wendy asked, helping to separate the two.

"I need to see Bigby. It's important." The blonde man stated, gasping like he was out of breath.

"You just missed him. He's taking his boy out for some fun."

"It's an emergency!" Jack insisted, grasping Wendy's sleeve. "Someone murdered Rose!"

Wendy blinked, then sighed. "Damn, Boss is not going to like hearing this."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Harry ****Gets ****an ****Offer**

_Fabletown, New York, __August__ 2011_

Evening came, and a car pulled in front of the Woodland again.

"Thanks for taking us Mr. Wolf." Coraline said as she got out of the car, followed by Jane.

"That was so much fun." Harry added as he got out too along with Bigby. Jake had already been dropped off at his house, so he wasn't there with them now.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Bigby said, looking at his phone and typing out a text. "Now you kids go ahead and get that cake Miss White was nice enough to have delivered."

"Thanks." All three said before heading into the Woodland ahead of him.

Bigby walked in and avoided the elevator, taking the stairs until he reached the office of the Mayor and Deputy-Mayor of Fabletown, advertising the former as King Cole and the lattter as Snow White. It was a rather large room, one that realistically could never fit inside the building but magic did have its uses. Inside were some desks and bookshelves, what you'd expect in an office, but there were lots of other things there. Including but not limited to several Greek statues, the shedded skin of a dragon, an ornate mirror, what looked like a giant mammoth's tusk, and even a gnarled tree with a dead knight hanging from it.

He opened the door and saw Snow there standing by her desk. Standing beside her was Wendy, and seated in one of the visitor chairs was Jack. In his peripheral Bigby could see a flying monkey putting books on the shelves.

"Sorry it took so long. I didn't want to cut Harry's fun short." Bigby clarified.

"Yeah I saw your texts. And you made the right choice. The boy shouldn't have his birthday ruined by crime details." Snow replied.

Bigby lit a cigarette. "So the word is Rose Red was murdered?"

Jack nodded. "I saw the crime scene, I could take you there right now. I locked the door so I don't think anyone's gone in and altered anything."

"That's good. What time did you see the crime scene?"

"This afternoon. I rushed over immediately but according to Wendy you had just left seconds before."

Wendy nodded. "You should have seen him, he was in such a rush that he tripped over Colin on the stairs."

Bigby mused this over. "Would I be correct in assuming that the crime scene is Rose's apartment?" Jack nodded. "That's on Grimm Street, am I right?"

Snow slammed her fist on her desk. "Why are you wasting time asking questions?! My sister could be dead! Do something dammit!"

"I'm doing my job Snow, let me do it." Bigby assured. "But first, let me tell Harry I'll be a while."

Snow nodded, still looking annoyed, and Bigby sent his grandson a text.

"Wendy, you might as well let Dumbledore have a chat with Harry while I'm busy. But keep an eye to make sure no funny business happens."

"No problem Boss." She said, then vanished into thin air.

* * *

Fabletown's one and only hotel certainly fit Wendy's description of it. It reminded Dumbledore a lot of the Leaky Cauldron back in London, both in design and upkeep. Had Dumbledore been a less humble person, he'd likely consider it beneath him to stay here.

"I'm just glad they did take wizard money." He thought out loud, checking out the tv.

There was a knock at the door and he got up to answer it, seeing Wendy. "Hey Mr. Dumbledore, Harry's got some free time so if you'd like to talk to him now's your chance."

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, that would be nice."

Rather than take a car, Wendy had them walk back to the Woodland. It wasn't a long walk, just a couple of blocks.

'Amazing, there are lots of people out walking around right now, and I can't tell which are Fable and which are muggle.' Dumbledore thought along the way. 'Muggles who get into wizarding areas are always so obvious, they're so curious and nervous and out of place it's easy to spot them. But here everything looks the same, so I guess there's nothing to make the muggles feel out of place. Maybe Fabletown's 'hiding in plain sight' approach really does work.'

They got to the Woodland soon enough, and used the elevator to get to Harry's apartment. Wendy knocked, and seconds later Harry opened the door.

"Hi Wendy, Grandpa said you would show up."

"Hi Mom, and yes I saved you a slice." Jane called out.

"Thanks Jane. Harry, this man is Albus Dumbledore, and he's got an offer for you."

Harry invited them both in and Wendy went to go get her slice of cake. Harry even offered Dumbledore a piece too, which he thanked the young boy for.

"It's nice to see you again after so long Harry. I don't know if you were ever told, but I knew your parents well back when they were alive."

Harry shook his head. "I don't think so. Grandpa has told me stuff about Mom and Dad, but not so much about who they knew back in England. How did you know them?"

"At first I was simply their headmaster. Which is why I'm here. I'm in charge of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Both your parents attended and I'd like to extend you an offer to attend as well."

"Hog warts?" Harry repeated with a laugh. "Sounds like something Colin would get after a bad day."

"A school where they teach magic?" Coraline asked, surprised. "That actually existed back home?"

"Ah, you're English." Dumbledore replied, recognizing the young girl's accent. "Who are you little one?"

"I'm Coraline Jones, once a normal mundy girl who got turned into a Fable a few years ago."

Dumbledore blinked. "People can turn into Fables? That's possible?"

"Counting Coraline there are four confirmed cases of it happening. We don't yet know exactly how it happens but it can and does." Wendy answered, with Jane beside her. "The first and second cases don't live here at the moment, but some of the third case examples are still here in town having decent lives. I won't bother naming them in case you're not familiar with mundy literature."

"Wait, why do you want Harry to go to your school?" Jane asked Dumbledore. "Wouldn't it be easier for him to go to school here in America?"

"That would be a pretty big commute." Coraline agreed.

Dumbledore shook his head. "Oh no, it's a boarding school. Harry would be living there except in the summer."

Harry looked rather apprehensive. "I dunno, my friend Percy's been to a few boarding schools and he didn't like any of them. Plus America and Fabletown's my home."

Dumbledore smiled reassuringly. "I can promise you that Hogwarts is nothing like an American boarding school. It's a lot more fun."

"But still, you're asking me to leave my home and learn... what? Magic? I already know some magic."

"There's always more to learn. Besides, each culture has its own specialties and priorities with magic. For example, Egyptian magic has always favored runes and curses, while East Asia favors charms and magical objects. At Hogwarts we try to dabble in various forms to help the individual find their own specialty, so you would have lots of variety to try out and learn about."

"What about tuition? I'm home-schooled here primarily because it's cheaper that way." Harry asked.

"That's already taken care of, your parents left you some money that was intended for your education when you were old enough to attend. At the time I believe they were understandably under the impression that you would still be living in England at the age of eleven. So that's what they saved up for."

Harry arched an eyebrow. "So hypothetically speaking, if I were to refuse, this money would be denied to me?"

Dumbledore scratched his beard. "Actually I'm not entirely sure. That seems more like something the goblins at Gringotts would be able to answer."

"Still, it sort of implies I _have_ to attend or else someone else gets what my parents wanted me to have." Harry grumbled.

"I suppose in a way it does, but I assure you that being at Hogwarts wouldn't be a bad thing for you. You'd have a great opportunity to learn magic and more about your parents from the people who knew them."

Wendy put her hand on Harry's shoulder. "There's no need to make a decision now Harry. After all, I'm sure someone from Ilvermorny will come by soon with their own recruitment pitch. Might as well see what they have to offer."

Dumbledore fidgeted a little at this news. 'I had not considered that Ilvermorny would try the same thing. In hindsight that was a bit of an oversight on my part.'

Harry nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

"Harry my boy, you said you already were told a few things about magic?" Dumbledore asked, and Harry nodded. "Would it be possible for me to speak with them tomorrow? To get an idea of how your education up until now has been?"

Harry nodded. "Sure, I see nothing wrong with that. I'll let one of my tutors know and hopefully arrange something."

Dumbledore smiled. "Thank you."

* * *

Down the road Jack had brought Bigby and Snow to one of the brownstone buildings that were considered Fabletown property. Snow had insisted that she come along, and Bigby relented but only on the condition that she not interfere with his job.

"This is Rose's apartment, right?" Bigby asked, standing in front of a closed door on the second floor.

"Yeah, I know it by heart. I come over all the time." Jack answered.

"Do you have a key?" Bigby added.

Jack pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door, allowing them to enter the premises. "Everything should be just how I left it. I knew not to touch anything since it was a crime scene. So brace yourselves."

The apartment looked like something right out of an uncensored slasher movie. Blood was splattered everywhere except the ceiling, all furniture except the couch was on its side and damaged to some degree, broken glass and scattered belongings decorated the floor, and on the wall written in blood was the phrase 'No More Happily Ever After'.

"Oh God, Rose..." Snow said, aghast at the idea of what her sister must have experienced here.

"I know, it's horrible." Jack added.

Snow struggled to not gag. She had seen a lot in her lifetime, but the sight of so much blood, her sister's blood, was more than enough to unsettle her.

Bigby held out his cigarette. "Hold this, I'm going to need my senses clear to scope this out." Snow took it with some displeasure. "I'll take a closer look. You two stay out here. Do not come in for any reason. Keep the door open for now, but if anyone comes by, close the door and stay in the hall until they pass. For now, this must be kept under wraps."

The two agreed, and Bigby went to the center of the living room, careful not to step in any of the blood puddles. Slowly he checked the floors, the writing on the walls, and the couch piece by piece.

"Uh, shouldn't you be checking the bedroom for Rose first?" Snow asked.

"I already checked. She's not in there." Jack stated.

Bigby turned to them. "Quiet, let me work."

Snow glared. "My sister might be dead. I think I have a right to be concerned here."

"You want to find her right? Then let me do my job without making it harder for me." Bigby warned. Snow got the message and quieted down.

Bigby continued combing the living room, seeing where the blood had gotten and what all had been damaged. When he got to the back end of the room, he saw the radio/CD case, clear of blood. Silently, Bigby used his phone to take some photos of the room and radio, as well as the floor around it.

Bigby's foot hit a banged up blood-covered toaster, then he went into the kitchen. Compared to the living room, this one was spotless. Sure there was some trash on the counter tops from old take-out, but there was no blood in this room at all. There was no damage either, except for some tiny holes on the freezer that looked too well spaced to be caused accidentally.

Bigby opened one of the drawers, expecting to see silverware. Instead there were various hand tools meant for basic maintenance and repairs around the house. But among them was a padlock along with a metal clasp that could be fitted to something. Taking it out, Bigby tested it against the holes on the freezer, getting a perfect match.

"Got something." He said to himself. Rather than continue, Bigby went back to the door. "Jack, I'm taking you in."

The blonde man jerked back. "What for?"

"Questioning. You know more than you've admitted."

"Did he kill Rose?" Snow asked.

"We'll find out."

* * *

Morning came and Harry woke up, being sure to keep quiet. Bigby didn't come home until late last night, not an uncommon occurrence, so Harry was in the habit of not making too much noise at this time of day. Looking around he saw Colin passed out on the couch, some frosting lingering around his mouth, and the door to Bigby's room was open. Inside he could see the man sleeping soundly on his bed.

After a quick shower, Harry made himself a simple breakfast of cereal and milk. On the table he saw a note, something Bigby occasionally did to let him know what was going on.

'Rose Red is presumed dead. Got a lead.'

Harry blinked. 'Okay, that's a heck of a first thing to read in the morning.'

Soon enough Harry finished eating and then washed the bowl. Normally he'd spend the rest of the morning quietly passing time with a game or book, or working on something that his tutors had assigned him. Today he had no assignments, and with Colin here he felt it would be harder to occupy himself without disturbing anyone. With nothing else to do, he grabbed a plastic bottle with a red liquid inside, wrote down a note himself and left the apartment.

Harry walked down the road, taking him through the main district of downtown Fabletown. If Fabletown was on the official map of Manhattan, you'd find it sandwiched in between Midtown and Chinatown, stretching from Times Square to the sea. It was divided into four districts, named for the primary street that went through each one. Harry lived in the Bullfinch District, which was where the government and public service offices of Fabletown were located. The Woodland doubled as both an apartment complex and the Minstry for the community.

The next district over was the Anderson District. Economically speaking it was the middle class section, as well as the shopping area of Fabletown. Sure the others had businesses too, but Anderson had the majority thanks to more concealments. After that came the Grimm District, which was essentially the low income housing portion of Fabletown. The final one was the Hamilton District down at the piers, which was cheap to live in and good conditions but had limited room, essentially making it the 'rent control' portion of Fabletown.

'I wonder what it would be like going to a real school.' Harry thought to himself, passing by the I Am the Eggman Diner. A look through the window showed some people having breakfast. 'I never got to before, even public school seemed too expensive at the time. If money isn't the issue then I really don't see what's so bad about going to the same school Mom went to.'

He paused for a moment before crossing the road and entering the Anderson District. 'But something tells me that something else is the issue. Why would the guy in charge of the school come all this way to ask me in person? If it was that Ilvermorny place, I could see a representative coming by, but not the headmaster. What would make the trip worth it to him? He's gotta be after something, I just need to figure out what.'

Harry went into a store with a sign calling it the Blue Grocer. At first glance it looked like any standard mini-convenience store that would exist in Manhattan due to limited space. But of course there was more to it. Harry went up to the cashier, a thin man wearing a uniform. "Hey Antonio, is the boss here?"

"Ah hello Harry. Yes she should be in the back. You know how to get there." The cashier replied, speaking in an Italian accent.

"Thanks, and say hi to Bassanio for me." Harry said before heading to the back of the store. He came across a door labeled Employees Only, but walked in without problem. On this side there was a huge room, one that by all mundy reasoning should not have fit within the skyscraper the market was built into. This looked like a legitimately fully stocked mundy supermarket, complete with aisles, freezers, and cashiers. With several customers pushing carts as well.

Let's just say that Doctor Who wasn't the only one to use 'bigger on the inside' gimmicks.

The young boy strolled to the back of the store, occasionally saying hi to some of the shoppers. He came to another door, this one marked 'Management', and knocked. "It's Harry." He called out to whoever was inside.

The door unlocked and opened to reveal a woman in her twenties wearing an orange blouse and brown pants.

"Good morning Harry. I was expecting you." She asked, allowing the boy to come inside.

"Hi Violet. Got you what you need, as always." He greeted back, reaching into his pocket and taking out the plastic bottle he grabbed earlier.

Violet took the bottle and downed the contents in one gulp. When she finished, she made a disgusted expression. "Yuck, I swear I'll never get used to this crap."

"Well Violet, you could have some gum." Harry said then chuckled.

Violet glared at him. "Don't even joke like that."

"In all seriousness Violet, can I ask you a question?" Harry asked.

Violet leaned against her desk. "Of course Harry. I don't mind. What's troubling you?"

"A man came here offering to let me attend his school. It teaches magic and is all the way in England, and it's the same school my mom went to. Do you know anything about it?"

Violet shook her head. "Sorry, I don't really pay attention to the magical stuff here except that potion you make me. And I honestly can't recall anything that Lily might have told me years ago. Are you afraid to go?"

Harry shook his head too. "Oh it's not that. I just can't help but wonder if it's a good idea."

"Why? What's the downside?"

Harry fidgeted a little. "If I'm being completely honest, I get the feeling that that's a sort of… expectation from me."

Violet tilted her head. "How so?"

"This guy came here all the way from England, just to ask me to attend his school. Who does that? Even if he did know my parents, why go this if I don't live in the country anymore? And this guy's basically the principal, have you ever heard of the principal making recruitment pitches to new students?"

"That is odd, but maybe it's an English thing."

"Coraline didn't seem to think so. But that's not it. He said my parents already set up tuition, and it's implied that if I don't go, the school will still get that money anyway."

Violet frowned. "Well there's a lawsuit waiting to happen."

Harry nodded. "So while I'm not really against the idea of going, right now I'm more blackmailed than motivated to do so. That's not a good first impression."

Violet put her hand on the young boy's shoulder. "Take it from me Harry, first impressions aren't always the most accurate. If they were I sure as hell wouldn't be married to my husband." She chuckled for a moment, then sighed. "If you want my advice, try asking this man what the perks of going are rather than what the drawbacks of not going are."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I think I will. Thanks Violet. Say hi to Coraline and Augustus for me."

"And if you do to England Harry, be sure to still send me more potion. You're so much cheaper than the Thirteenth Floor Witches." Violet added while the two waved goodbye.

* * *

With a yawn and stretch Snow rose from bed. Normally she was an early riser but last night had kept her up way later than even she was used to and so she couldn't resist sleeping in. While odds were some people might complain about her neglecting her job, the fact that her sister was presumed murder ought to give her some leeway. Besides, her job as Deputy-Mayor meant she usually handled disputes on behalf of the mayor. It wouldn't kill Cole to occasionally deal with these disputes himself.

Still not fully alert, Snow left her bedroom to get some coffee started in the kitchen. Rubbing her eyes she felt herself step in something wet and sticky. "Great, just what I need right now." She grumbled, slowly looking down. Then she gasped.

Right there on her apartment floor was a trail of blood, one that went by her door and led back to the center of the living room. Sprawled across her coffee table was the inanimate body of a red-haired woman in white blood-stained pajamas. A very familiar red-haired woman.

"Rose? Oh God, Rose!" Snow exclaimed, heading to the corpse forgoing the blood on her floor. She checked for a pulse and any response, but got none on both accounts.

Immediately she went to a phone and dialed one of the few numbers she had saved. "C'mon pick up. Pick up dammit!"

After four rings, the person on the other end answered. "Something wrong Snow?"

"Get your hairy ass over here immediately Bigby! My sister's body is right here in my apartment!"

She could hear a sigh over the phone. "I'm on my way. Do me a favor and have some coffee ready for me please."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Getting the Facts**

_Fabletown, New York, August 2011_

Bigby was peering out Snow's window, sipping some coffee out of a cup. Snow herself was beside him doing the same, having the foresight to get dressed before Fabletown's sheriff showed up at her apartment. He went in, did some forensics work, then had a drink.

"So? Anything?" Snow asked.

"Well for one, Jack didn't bring her body here." Bigby started.

Snow frowned. "Well duh!"

"So who did? She wasn't there when you came home last night, right?"

"Yes, I already told you that. As late as it was last night, I sure as hell would have noticed my sister's body on my coffee table."

Bigby snickered. "Snow, that's not Rose's body."

Snow's expression turned to surprise. "You certain? Don't fuck with me on this Bigby."

"It's a good imitation, they even went so far as to cover it with Rose's scent as much as possible, but it's not her. The evidence is really clear."

"What evidence?" Snow asked.

Bigby took a moment to sip more coffee. "For starters, the blood on the floor. It smells like Rose, but ignoring that, the fact it was there is not natural. Where else on your floor is there blood?"

Snow looked over her floor, this time bothering to examine the details. There was some blood gathering around the coffee table, and there was the trail that led to her bedroom door, but the rest of the floor was spotless.

"A blood trail implies that the body has been moved, but unless it came from your room that's impossible." Bigby clarified. "And I checked, there's no blood in or around your room. That trail was put there specifically with the intention of having you step in it, thus guaranteeing that you would notice the body even if you weren't looking at it."

Snow fidgeted a little. "But why?"

"That's the question I'm still working on. Along with who did it and how."

"Wait, what else makes you think that's not really Rose?" Snow added.

"Again, the blood. It has the scent of Rose, but not just her. Someone else too, possibly whoever handled the body but the scent is in the blood too. The amount is also suspect. I haven't yet figured out how much blood was there on Rose's walls, but a body missing that much blood should be much paler than the one in your living room currently is."

Snow again looked at the body. "You're right, aside from the stains she looks… overall normal. More like Briar Rose than a blood-drained corpse."

"And I don't even see an open wound on her. Dead giveaway, no pun intended."

"So what's going on?"

Bigby finished off his coffee. "That's the part I'm still trying to figure out. But I've narrowed it down to either a Fable or a wizard. Sure, Rose was a party girl and had mundies over all the time, but even if one of them did have a reason to kill her and could do it without getting caught, the writing on the wall proves otherwise. 'No more happily ever after'? That would only make sense if the killer knew Rose was a Fable. I don't think even she would tell anyone about us. So it had to be a Fable or a wizard, and frankly I believe a Fable is more likely."

"Then my money's on Jack." Snow commented.

"He's in on it, I have no doubt of that. But he's locked up, so he couldn't have been the one to put that body in your living room last night. Someone else is involved."

"I want to be there when you interrogate Jack." Snow claimed.

Bigby shook his head. "No can do. This isn't your job."

Snow frowned. "The victim was my sister."

"Which means you can't do this unbiased. Besides, you've been estranged from your sister for years. How do I know _you'__re_ _not involved_?"

"Is that a joke?"

"Nope. But while I don't believe you're a part of this, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't consider it a possibility." He replied.

Snow stood up. "Well, I'd love to prove my innocence, sadly I got to go meet my ex. He's back in town, and says he needs to talk about something."

"Hide your wallet." Bigby warned.

"Could Charming be a suspect?" Snow quickly asked. "He just got back to town when a murder happens. The timing is suspicious if nothing else."

Bigby nodded. "I agree. Sadly, Jack's the only one that's realistic here, so I'm focusing on him. Charming has nothing to gain from killing Rose. It's not like she left a will or anything."

"I'll see if I can get anything out of him." Snow said before walking away.

* * *

"Thank you for coming by." An old woman said as she sat in her rocking chair.

"And thank you for accepting my request." Dumbledore responded, seated on a rocking chair in front of her. He saw her apartment looked like an ordinary one you'd expect from a muggle old woman, but this was definitely no muggle. He could feel the magic radiating off her like heat. Oddly enough, he could feel it too on a black cat that was in the room too. One that had a spaded tail.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore, do you happen to know me?" He asked just for clarification.

The old woman shook her head. "No, I don't really have any interest in what happens in England these days. If I'm going to turn on the BBC, there had better be Monty Python or Doctor Who on. Maybe some Benny Hill reruns."

"Even if you did, I doubt you'd find any news regarding wizards on the telly. We prefer the wireless back home." Dumbledore replied. "Which reminds me, how can your community have electronics that work around magic Madam...?"

"Totenkinder, and I'd prefer Miss or Frau." She answered, then picked up a tray of cookies. "Gingerbread?"

"Oh thank you." He took one and bit into it. "Tastes splendid."

"It should, I've had centuries to perfect my recipe. Now, as for how we have electronics here, I think the real question is why don't you?"

"We've made some progress back home. We can get things like lights and some medical equipment to work around magic, but most machines just stop working in an area flooded with magical energy. And most wards applied to the devices to protect them just do the same amount of damage themselves. Frankly, most wizards don't consider anything of muggle creation to be worth the effort to incorporate into our culture in the first place."

Totenkinder silently scoffed. "Next time one of them says something like that, remind them that fire, masonry, agriculture, clothes, and the English language were all created without magic."

Dumbledore chuckled. "I think I might do that."

"Now, Harry told me that you're curious about what I've been teaching him." Totenkinder continued. "I'd be happy to give you some professional insight. But before I do, I'm a little concerned about why you came all this way to offer Harry a chance to be in this school you teach."

"I can assure you that you have nothing to be concerned about." Dumbledore assured.

Totenkinder raised an eyebrow and smiled a bit. "Oh dear, you didn't really believe that would be answer enough for me did you?" He said nothing. "I'll start with something simple. Who's paying tuition?"

"I've already covered that with Harry. His parents when they were alive had already set aside a fund that will cover any and all future educational costs for his years at Hogwarts, with a little extra thrown in, in case of things like inflation or altered curriculum. So rest assured this won't cost Fabletown a thing."

"That's good. Now, what does your school typically teach children?"

"A first year student like Harry will be learns the basics over several fields. Such as charms, potions, defense against dark arts, and herbology. We also provide an opportunity to learn flying on brooms and some medical magic. More advanced stuff will be given as the students get older."

"Alright, so when do you expect Harry to start learning how to fight?"

Dumbledore blinked and jerked back a bit. "I beg your pardon?"

"Mr. Dumbledore, did you think Bigby wouldn't have told anyone what you told him when he brought Harry here years ago? You told him that some dark wizard was 'dead but not really' and you needed Harry to finish the job. Assuming that you aren't setting up the boy as some kind of sacrifice, the only other explanation is you intend to train Harry how to fight. So, when do you expect to start teaching Harry this?"

The old wizard cleared his throat, still looking uncomfortable. "Technically the Defense Against Dark Arts class could be considered a form of fighting."

Totenkinder frowned. "And technically it could be considered just a form of self defense. And technically you didn't answer the question. Remember, you're the one that wants Harry to go to England, so what's the plan for if he's there?"

"If things go well, Harry will never need to learn anything other than self defense. It's not like I plan on sending him to war." The old headmaster insisted.

Totenkinder nodded. "So then the best form of self defense is to keep Harry away from England in the first place isn't it?"

"His parents would have wanted him to attend Hogwarts." Dumbledore insisted.

Totenkinder scoffed. "More than they would have wanted him to be safe?"

Dumbledore did not like where this was going. He needed Harry to return to Great Britain, it was the only way to end the threat of Voldemort once and for all. But the Fables were different than the wizards in Britain, they had no reason to revere and defer to his wishes. They needed to be convinced that this whole thing was in Harry's best interests. And with the aspect of Voldemort's return already known to them, that wasn't going to be easy.

Maybe it was time to try his trump card.

"Tell me Miss Totenkinder, do you believe in prophecy?" He asked.

The old woman leaned back in her rocker. "The mere fact you ask me that tells me regardless of my opinion, _you_ believe it. So what's the prophecy that involves Harry?"

Not exactly the answer he was hoping to get but one he could work with nonetheless. "In summary, the only one who can end the dark lord for good is Harry. Until he fights back, the threat will never truly end."

Totenkinder was silent, and while Dumbledore wanted to believe this meant he had convinced her, he suspected she was instead trying to find a hole in his argument.

"So if your plan this entire time was to get Harry to end this war for you, why did you say you hope he never had to learn more than self defense? And why did you say and I quote, 'it's not like I plan on sending him to war'?"

And she found such a hole.

Dumbledore just sat there wide-eyed, his mind racing to come up with a rebuttal that would be satisfactory.

Totenkinder then leaned forward. "It's clear to me that you're either lying or planning poorly. Both are reason enough to make sure Harry never goes anywhere near Europe right now. So I'm going to ask you this just once, and this time give me a good answer. Why should any of us allow Harry to attend your school?"

Dumbledore cleared his throat and tried his best to put his thoughts into words. "Like most adults, I look at the children I teach and pray they never have to be in a situation where they will have to rely on anything other than self defense. And in a perfect world, that wouldn't be necessary either. However, I cannot ignore the problem that exists in my homeland. The dark lord will come back, and when he does, he will seek complete control over Great Britain, even going so far as to reveal magic to the muggles and bring great danger to us all, including the Fables. Don't you think that by sending Harry to England all that trouble could be avoided before it goes too far?"

"And what makes you so sure that sending him to England will be the lesser of two evils?" Totenkinder asked back. "Does this dark lord of yours know this prophecy?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Only a part of it, but regardless of your opinion of prophecy, he takes this one very seriously. It's why he went for Harry in the first place."

"Alright, so he still fears that Harry will be the one to kill him and wants to eliminate the threat. By having Harry remain here in New York, how's this dark lord going to do that?"

"He can get here. Just decades ago a dark lord by the name of Gellert Grindelwald came to New York. It led to some considerable trouble."

Totenkinder nodded. "I remember that time. It actually worked out well here for us Americans."

Dumbledore looked confused. "How so?"

"Not important. What is important is immigration services would be warned ahead of time and your current threat would have to come through them to get here. And if he does get through, MACUSA will be looking for him if he goes silent in England and there's no way for him to know where Fabletown is. Unless you leak that information when you get back. So right now the biggest threat to Harry is _you_."

The old wizard frowned but could not fault her. "But if he just stays here, countless people in will be in danger."

Totenkinder slightly smiled. "And that's the crux of your whole argument. _You_ need _him_. _He_ doesn't need _you_. And I think that scares you."

"Scares me?" Dumbledore repeated.

The old witch nodded. "Yes, it scares you. You're terrified of the idea that the fate of your country could be in the hands of a young child that you know nothing about. A young child that has no reason whatsoever to solve your problem for you."

"Yes he does, Voldemort killed his parents."

Totenkinder narrowed her eyes. "So you want to encourage revenge?"

Dumbledore could not respond to that.

"Harry has no reason to go to England and save any of you. And that terrifies you. You're here to make him come, and that means you need to give him a reason. Most likely either bribery, threats, or force, because you don't want to take the chance that he'll say no if you simply ask him. You want 'yes' to be the only option he has. Then once he's there, you intend to make sure he stays until the job is done. But even then that's not enough to make you feel better. You'll still be afraid that Harry won't make the decisions you'd prefer he make, so you'd try to find some way to limit his choices. To manipulate him and hide the fact you're doing it so he won't turn against you. And in all that fear, you'll start looking for unpleasant signs, the kind of things that make you think that Harry himself is a threat waiting to happen."

Dumbledore frowned but remained silent. He hated that as accusing as her words were, there was a very plausible sense of logic to it that anyone could believe. If she convinced anyone in Fabletown this was the case, Harry would be more likely to go to China than Britain for his schooling.

Totenkinder then smiled but it looked more poisonous than merry. "So please, just get to the point. Why should we let Harry go to your school?"

Dumbledore kept himself silent, composing himself to avoid reacting in any way that would ruin his credibility. The Fable witch essentially had this argument locked solid and they both knew it.

"What do you want?" He asked simply.

Totenkinder kept her poisonous smile. "I can think of one thing, and one thing only, that will make this endeavor worth considering on our end. You want Harry to risk his life to solve a problem you have that doesn't otherwise concern him? Well, you have to do the same for us. Fabletown has a threat of its own similar to your dark lord, so I think you should provide us with a means to fight against them too."

"One hand washes the other, right?"

Totenkinder nodded. "Yes, does that seem fair?"

Dumbledore smiled a bit. "I believe it does."

"Good, I'm glad we can be reasonable about this. While you're at it, you should speak with Dr. Swineheart. He'll have something to ask you too."

Dumbledore nodded. "I believe I will."

* * *

"Now Jack, you know how to make this short." Bigby told the blonde man seated on a bed lacking a mattress in the basement of the Woodland.

"Yeah, but running's really not going to be easy right now." Jack replied jokingly.

"No jokes Jack, unless you want to be the next Fable to die." Snow warned, standing off to the side. Bigby had protested her being there, but she had pulled rank and made him accept her.

"Sorry, you know how habits are." Jack said, trying to laugh it off.

"Let's start simple, what did you do when you first got to Rose's apartment?" Bigby asked.

"I was worried, why wouldn't I be? There was so much blood. For a moment I thought several people had died there, but there were no bodies."

"The amount of blood on the walls is still questionable. A murder that aggressive would be really hard to hide, and no one else has reported anything, not even a complaint about noise. Until forensics verifies how much blood was on the walls, it's still possible this is all a ruse."

Snow blinked in surprise. "Are you saying Rose might still be alive?"

"Without a body or a murder weapon we have to consider the possibility." Bigby answered.

Snow sighed in relief.

"What about the body Snow found?" Jack asked.

"It's a fake, glamoured to look like Rose but it's not her." Bigby answered. "Why did you go to Rose's apartment in the first place Jack?"

"I wanted to see her." He answered simply.

"How long have you and Rose been involved romantically?"

"Almost four years now."

"Consecutively or in general?"

Jack looked confused. "Well we first started seeing each other about four years ago. We weren't broken up last night though."

"I recall about a year ago, back during the Crooked Man scandal, you and Rose had a public falling out. Almost everyone in Fabletown saw you and her fighting and screaming, and those that didn't soon heard about it. We're lucky NYPD didn't get brought in. And if I recall correctly, on last year's Remembrance Day she attended the gala with someone else. Who was it?"

"Bluebeard." Jack answered bitterly. "But she was only doing it to make me jealous. He's the one you should be questioning. You know his history with women. Maybe he fell into his old habits?"

"We'll get to him, but right now you're the one under question." Bigby stated. "You've got an apartment here in the Woodland right?"

Jack looked confused again. "Yeah, why?"

"But you have your own key to Rose's place, and you stay over there often?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, but not every night. That's not a crime."

"So why not _that_ night?" Bigby asked.

"I was out having some fun with friends, and when it got late I figured I'd not bother her so late and headed back to my own place."

"Funny, Grimble doesn't remember seeing you come back that night." Bigby countered.

"It was after midnight and the guy never wakes up. How _could_ he have seen me?" Jack responded.

"There's a reason Grimble is the security guard here Jack." Bigby mentioned. "You'd be surprised what he detects, even when he's out like a light. Anyway, your story is that you were out that night with friends, came home late, then went to Rose's place in the morning, saw the mess but no body, and came back here in a hurry." Jack nodded. "Then you won't mind if we check your apartment."

Jack shrugged. "Go ahead, I got nothing to hide... except some print-outs you probably don't want your kid to see if you bring him along."

"Print-outs?" Snow repeated, looking disgusted.

"With the internet around who buys Playboy anymore?" Jack asked.

"One other question Jack, who were your last five girlfriends before Rose?" Bigby added.

The blonde man thought it over. "There's Jill, though I haven't seen her in years. There was this cute blonde at a cafe, this other girl with great knockers, that one night stand at Queens, and last Halloween this babe who may or may not have have been a real mermaid. Man I was plowed that night."

"You're a sleaze." Snow criticized.

"Well sor-ry Miss Disney Princess, but some of us didn't choose to stay celibate when our marriages ended." Jack snarked.

Snow fumed and looked like she was ready to turn Jack into the next headless horseman, but Bigby began ushering her out of the room.

"That will do Jack." The sheriff said before locking the door, leaving Jack in the room.

"Sometimes I wish he had been the one to fall off that beanstalk." Snow bitterly muttered, walking away while Bigby followed. "Be straight with me Bigby, do you really think my sister is alive?"

"It is entirely possible, which is saying something."

Snow arched an eyebrow. "Saying what?"

"Nothing I can say for certain. Right now I've got an idea what happened, but still more questions that need answers."

The two went up some stairs that brought them to the ground floor. "If Rose is still alive, then why hasn't she shown up?" Snow asked.

"That's one of the questions. If she's still alive, then it could be a kidnapping. And if they want us to think she's murdered then there will be no ransom issued. I would consider her faking her death, if not for the fact it'd be impractical for her to be hidden from us for long."

"So who would want Rose gone but not dead?"

"I'll check out Bluebeard to see what he's willing to say. And I'll look inside Jack's place. I suggest you go about your business as usual and try not to worry too much."

Snow frowned and put her hands on her hips. "How can you say that? She's my sister!"

"And what can you do that you haven't already done to find her?" Bigby replied. "I'm doing my job here Snow, you should be doing yours too."

Snow still looked crossed, but sighed. "Fine. But I better be the first person to be told what you find."

Bigby smirked. "Wouldn't dream of telling anyone else before you."

* * *

"So what brings you here to me Mr. Dumbledore?" A man dressed as a surgeon said while sitting behind a desk.

"Miss Totenkinder recommended I speak with you. I was speaking to her about Harry Wolf and him attending my school. I assume you're his doctor?" Dumbledore asked, seated across from him. They were inside the medic's office in the Woodland, and thanks to spacial magic there was several large rooms designed for hospital work attached to it as well. It almost made the old wizard feel like he was inside a more advanced version of St. Mungos.

"Yes, my name is Swineheart and I'm the chief physician here at Fabletown. So you wish for Harry to attend your school in England? Alright, I can think of some things that should be addressed while we're at it."

"Miss Totenkinder did the same, and not to nitpick, but the school is actually in Scotland, not England."

"My mistake. Anyway, Harry is well vaccinated against the greater diseases here in America, both mundane and magical, so that won't be a problem. Are there any diseases in your country that he should be prepped against ahead of time?"

"Ah, excellent question. It seems every year at least one muggleborn student catches an illness they weren't aware existed and has to spend a lot of time being treated for, affecting their overall grades. Most pureblood families, or families in general that live in our community, prepare themselves ahead of time by treating their children for such ailments."

"Do you at least warn these muggleborn as you call them of the risks?" Swineheart asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "We do warn them of what the most common diseases are, how one might catch them, and what to do if afflicted. However we cannot provide proactive treatment for them. The best they can do is see to our school nurse if they're sick or worried about being sick. Sadly we cannot afford to give sufficient medicine to a dozen new students each year."

Swineheart thought for a moment. "Then something has to be done for Harry. I will not have the risk of him bringing back foreign illnesses each summer if he goes to your school."

Dumbledore nodded, getting the feel that the doctor Fable was more on his side than Totenkinder had been. "That can be arranged. Funds to cover Harry's education have been established, it wouldn't take much to see to his health as well."

"Speaking of his health, there's only one more thing I really should discuss with you." Swineheart continued, looking a little uncomfortable for a second before standing up. "Follow me please."

Dumbledore rose to his feet, following the doctor into a hallway within the medical wing.

"I'm sure it's not within your jurisdiction, but would it be possible for you to provide me any medical reports that Harry had back when he was in England." Swineheart started.

Dumbledore was confused. "Why? He only lived there for a year and I presume James and Lily kept him in good health. What could outdated records tell you?"

"I've heard the story of that Halloween night when Harry's birth parents were killed, and I examined the boy when he got here to see if there were any effects the magic used on him had left on him. I'm certain that I was not the only one to do so when he was collected from the crime scene, and I wish to know what the medic who checked him out at the time discovered."

Dumbledore mildly panicked. The truth was right after Harry had been rescued from Godric's Hollow he hadn't been taken to a hospital or anyone. Dumbledore's only real priority at the time had been to find him a new guardian. He had completely forgotten about confirming with someone that Harry was still healthy.

No, that's not true, there was a reason he hadn't taken Harry to a doctor and focused on getting Harry somewhere safe first. A reason he didn't want anyone else to learn yet... but did the Fables figure it out?

"I am unsure about such records. You are correct, the hospitals are generally out of my jurisdiction back home save for the school nurse." The old wizard covered. "But while we're on the subject, did you discover anything about the boy that was alarming?"

Swineheart nodded. "As a matter of fact I did. Something that I was, and to this day still am, positive no professional worth their Hippocratic Oath would have overseen when examining the child. Which is why I want to ask them why didn't they do anything about it."

"Perhaps they thought they couldn't do anything about it?" Dumbledore suggested. 'It wouldn't be wrong, magical medicine can do nothing in regards to a horcrux.'

When Dumbledore first got to see Harry after the attempted murder he had done a scan of the boy to see if Voldemort or anyone else had cursed the boy. They had not, but he had detected a strong presence from Voldemort linked to Harry's scar. Fearing the worst, he tested again and got confirmation, Harry now had a horcrux in his head, meaning as long as he lived the dark lord could not die.

"Then they gave up too easily, because I fixed the problem within a day." Swineheart countered.

"Excuse me?" Dumbledore asked. 'That's impossible, they couldn't have gotten rid of the horcrux without killing Harry.'

Swineheart opened a door into a room, one that was a bit chillier than the hallway. "You see, scans showed an odd bit of magic attached to Harry's scar tissue. It wasn't coming from Harry himself, if anything it was taking very minute bits of Harry's own power to sustain itself, like a parasite. We could not disconnect it or exorcise it, but I had an idea. The energy was attached strictly to the scar tissue, and nothing else. I did some careful surgery on the afflicted area and removed the scar tissue. And I was right, the energy was removed from Harry's being entirely."

Dumbledore was completely and utterly dumbfounded. Surgery, of course! How could he not have seen it? The horcrux had only been attached to the scar, not Harry's entire body. Remove the scar, remove the horcrux. So simple and logical, and yet something Dumbledore would have never thought about in a million years. This literally changed everything he had planned for the boy.

"Has this affected him in any way?" Dumbledore asked.

"Not that I can see. To me Harry is a fine healthy young man with no real problems regarding his physical, mental, or magical capabilities. Whatever that energy had been, I can only state that removing it was only a good thing for the boy."

Swineheart then went to a freezer door and used a key card to unlock it. "However, this is the part that I felt I needed to show you."

The door was opened and a tray was pulled out. There was a box on top that the doctor unsealed, and inside was a small lump of flesh. One that had a lightning shaped scar on it.

Dumbledore gaped in shock. "Is… is that…?"

Swineheart nodded. "The very same scar that I surgically removed myself ten years ago. Oddly, from a medical standpoint, it still seems alive, however impossible that may be. I've actually tried destroying it, but it resisted all forms of incineration. Whatever magical taint was on Harry's scar, it's still there."

'The horcrux, it's still technically alive.' Dumbledore realized in horror.

"I've confirmed that whatever taint on this scar is no longer on Harry." Swineheart continued. "Though oddly, when he recovered from surgery that same scar appeared on his forehead again. Believe me, I did everything to make sure that there was no taint left. It's the oddest coincidence I've ever seen."

"That is good for Harry." The old wizard noted.

The doctor sealed up the box and closed the door again. "I would much appreciate it if you could provide me with some insight into what magic would have this result on Harry's original scar."

Dumbledore nodded. "I will do what I can to make sure this is no threat to Harry or others good doctor. Is there anything else?"

Swineheart shook his head. "No, that will do. Thank you."

Dumbledore thanked him in return and then left the medical wing. 'Harry doesn't have a horcrux in him anymore. He no longer has to die in order to take down Voldemort. He can actually live past this war now. This means I can now prepare him for victory rather than martyrdom. Fabletown will be more willing to become our ally now.'


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: More Questions Asked**

_Fabletown, New York, August 2011_

"What are we doing here Harry?"

At the moment Harry was inside an empty apartment in Fabletown, accompanied by Coraline, Jake, and Jane.

"Guys, according to Grandpa, Miss White's sister might have been murdered." Harry told them as he stood by one of two coolers, one of which had a binder on it.

Coraline, Jake, and Jane's eyes widened. "Might have been?"

Harry nodded. "Nothing's proven, and Grandpa asked me to do something here to help figure something out. This apartment is directly below Miss Red's apartment, and shaped the same way." He then tapped one of the coolers. "He asked me to recreate the crime scene, and thanks to Miss Totenkinder, we have the supplies to do so here."

"I assume that by 'we' you're saying you need our help?" Coraline asked.

Harry nodded. "I've got lunch in the other cooler just so you know."

"I'm in. I've got nothing else to do anyway." Jake agreed.

"Might as well, I've got nothing going on too." Jane added.

After a bit, Coraline shrugged. "Ah what the hell? Can't be worse than anything at work."

"Brace yourself." Harry said, opening the cooler and pulling out several clear bags with red liquid. "We're going to recreate all the blood on the walls and furniture."

Coraline cringed and backed away.

"It's not real, it just looks real. And I was taught how to clean it up with magic." Harry assured, taking out some shrunken furniture too.

Coraline shook her head and headed for the door. "No thanks, I'd rather go back to the Blue Grocer. Good luck Harry."

Jake chuckled. "Squeamish much?"

Coraline gave the boy a dirty look. "You would be too if a monster tried to rip out your eyes then sew them shut." She then left the apartment, slamming the door a little more than necessary.

Undaunted, Harry, Jake, and Jane set up the furniture, using a loaned wand to make it become regular size again, and stated putting the fake blood everywhere.

* * *

When Bigby went to his next suspect, one thing he did not expect to see was Cinderella fencing with him.

"Mr. Bluebeard, don't call me princess in that tone." She told him as she blocked and diverted his epee. "You make it sound like it's another way of saying 'turd sandwich' or something."

"Did you have such a dirty mouth back in the Homelands?" Bluebeard, a physically fit bald man with glasses and a well-trimmed beard and mustache, asked while continuing his moves. He was a well known Fable, notorious for his old days of marrying many women then killing them, like a male black widow, and for currently being one of the richest Fables in town.

"You should have seen my step-family. They had mouths dirty enough to plant crops in." Cinderella replied.

"Can I interrupt you two, or would I just give you a new target if I did?" Bigby called out, waving his hand a bit to get their attention.

Both sparring Fables stopped, with Bluebeard looking mildly annoyed. "Sheriff, what brings you here?"

"Just wanted to ask some questions. For starters, have you heard the latest news?"

Bluebeard put down his epee. "The last thing I heard from the gossipers is that Charming is back in town. Claiming he's so poor now that he has to auction off something."

Cinderella sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, more like he's scamming someone by now. My money's on some waitress in a diner who fell for his sweet talk."

Elsewhere, in the Lower East Side, a woman laying comfortably in bed felt a need to sneeze, waking her up in time to see Charming trying to sneak out.

"That's old news by now. The news I'm talking about is the murder of Rose Red." Bigby said as if it were casual conversation.

Bluebeard blinked and jolted in place, not finding this casual. "What?"

Cinderella however showed no reaction. "Yeah, I heard that. Carved like a turkey as they put it."

Bluebeard looked to the blonde princess. "You knew about this?"

"Knew _of_ it. I just didn't say anything because I thought _you_ did too."

"Who did this?" Bluebeard asked, looking at both of them.

"Rumor is that Jack did it." Cinderella answered.

"He's being interrogated, but I'd like to ask a few questions for you too Bluebeard." Bigby claimed.

"Me too?" Cinderella asked, putting away her epee on a holder on the wall.

"Just one. Who told you about Rose?" The sheriff asked, curious since they were hoping to keep this under wraps.

"I heard from a few girls coming into my shop. I think one of them was Rapunzel and she heard it from the mice in the Woodland, though I can't confirm that part."

"That will do." Bigby said with a nod.

"But there is something else worth telling you." Cinderella continued. "A few days ago I saw Jack with a girl who definitely wasn't Rose."

"Cinderella, that's like saying you saw Charlie Sheen with a girl he wasn't with yesterday." Bigby chided.

"Well duh, but there's more to it than that. I saw him having a pretty nasty fight with this other girl. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but it looked like she was threatening him. Then this guy I've never seen before gets between them and holds a wand at her, shutting her up."

Bigby raised an eyebrow. "A wizard?" Cinderella nodded. "Where and when was this?"

"The day before your kid's birthday. As for where, it wasn't in Fabletown. I went to Battery Park for a bit then came by via Broadway and stopped at a Starbucks. I think it was the one on Vesey Street.

"Broadway? Isn't that where MACUSA is located?" Bluebeard asked.

"If so I wonder what Jack was doing there, and what he did to piss that woman off so much that a wizard had to get involved." Cinderella added.

Bigby nodded. "Can you describe the woman?"

"Short brown hair and a blue shirt, that's all I could see. Her back was to me. Nice ass at least."

"Thank you for your help Cinderella." Bigby said, then stepped closer to Bluebeard and pulled out some photos. "These were from the crime scene." Bluebeard looked rather disturbed by them. "My nose confirmed all that blood is hers."

"This clearly proves that son of a bitch Jack is guilty. Why haven't you arrested him?" Bluebeard asked, his anger starting to rise.

"How do I know _you_ didn't kill her?" Bigby asked. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Cinderella walk away, but remain long enough to hear this next part.

Bluebeard looked surprised, then outraged. "That is an outrageous claim, but I know how these things work so I'll say it directly. I did not kill Rose Red!"

"Alright, so where were you on July 31?"

"I was here all day and night. I rarely go out into Fabletown or New York. You can ask my caretaker Hobbes, he can verify my whereabouts."

"He's your butler right? Not exactly the most creditable source, but for now I'll ignore my skepticism." Bigby said, lighting a cigarette. "I recall you attending last year's Remembrance Day Ball with Rose. Were you together romantically or to avoid going stag?"

Bluebeard smiled. "Romantically."

"So why does Jack still have a key to her apartment and regularly visits?" Bigby asked, then held up his hand to silence the bald Fable. "Let me rephrase that. It's obvious why Jack would go to her, but why would Rose allow him to do this if she's with you, romantically as you put it?"

Bluebeard lost his smile and put his hands together. "You see, this is where our relationship gets complicated. Rose... knew what people would say about us being together. I hear the comments too about my dating life. She preferred we be discreet, not give the vultures something to pick at. I presume that allowing Jack to be seen around her was her using a decoy."

"So what about the ball? That's not exactly discreet." Bigby asked.

"It's kind of like how you put it, we didn't want to go stag. Plus we're not ashamed of our relationship, we just don't want others making it a big deal. Besides, it was still a great night. That was when I proposed, and she accepted." Bluebeard said happily.

Bigby looked surprised to hear this. "Gotta admit I did not see that coming."

"Like a woodsman's ax?" Bluebeard jested, laughing a little.

Bigby frowned. "Low blow chrome dome. Now, I can assume that you kept your engagement discreet too?"

Bluebeard nodded. "Yes, the gossipers would have had a field day with this news. But we knew this couldn't be kept secret forever, and wouldn't have been worth it if we had tried. So Rose suggested we keep it under wraps for one year, and reveal it this Remembrance Day."

"Hmm..." Bigby hummed simply, not sure what to say.

Bluebeard turned and walked towards another room. "If you don't believe me I can prove it." Bigby followed him into what looked like a den or office for the wealthy Fable. Going behind a desk, Bluebeard opened a drawer and took out a file. "We formalized it with a written agreement. I presume you can verify Rose's handwriting?"

"I know someone who can." Bigby said, taking the file and looking into it. "Why a contract? Why not just a verbal agreement?"

"Because I gave a dowry. Rose was in a bad place at that time and needed some help, which she wasn't going to get from her sister. I offered her some, but she was too proud to take it. By claiming it was a dowry to the bride, that was okay. Of course, a contract was needed to make it official, otherwise she'd see it as charity."

Bigby closed the file. "So far this seems legit. So Rose is, or was, your fiancee, and someone killed her mere days before you were going to announce it."

Bluebeard arched an eyebrow. "Yes, the timing is too much of a coincidence. Someone does not want her to be my wife, but why would they kill her?"

"The investigation will find that answer soon enough." Bigby assured, then shook the bald Fable's hand. "Any ideas who it could be? Other than Jack?"

"No but if you can find them I'll offer a million dollars as a sign of gratitude."

"Well, now I actually want to solve this case." Bigby joked and laughed a bit. Bluebeard didn't find it funny.

* * *

Having nothing to do at the moment, Dumbledore relaxed on a bench outside the Woodland, enjoying the limited scenery there was to behold. When he did, he saw Colin the pig in the shade of a bush looking miserable.

"You okay?" Dumbledore asked, remembering this pig from before.

"Can you get me some water or something? I'm baking out here."

The old wizard took out his wand. "No problem." With a little wave he created a hole in the ground than filled it with water, effectively creating a wading pool.

"Oh thank you." Colin said before waddling in and relaxing like a pig in a jacuzzi.

"My good swine, if you don't mind me asking, I'm told that the animal Fables live in a place called the Farm. Why don't you?"

"Oh I live there, I just don't like it there. I'm a city pig, Manhattan is my kind of place to be. Heck, I'd even take your London over the Farm."

"Oh, I don't live in London. My home is the school of Hogwarts back in Scotland, and the nearest town is a quaint little village called Hogsmeade. It's nothing like this city."

Colin snorted. "Hogwarts and Hogsmeade? What, were the genius's who named these places pigs too?"

Dumbledore laughed. "No my good swine, they were human. Though I think they did build with straw and sticks and bricks."

Colin laughed too. "Best things to use as long as you don't have any wolves around to blow them down."

"So you're the only one of the three pigs that survived?" Dumbledore asked.

Colin shook his head and rolled around a little to cover more of himself with water. "No, all three of us did. Sometimes the story teller forgets that and says me and my brother died. I'm the pig who made the straw house by the way."

"You wouldn't happen to know anyone who is quite knowledgeable about Fables and their history and culture, would you?" Dumbledore inquired.

"If you're looking for teachers for your school, I don't have much to suggest. There's the Thirteenth Floor, the magic experts of town, you could have your pick of any of them."

"True, but I'm looking for someone to teach about the identity of Fables, not just their magic. I'm also suspecting an animal Fable might be good, to better show the diversity of your culture."

Colin looked confused, his ears fluttering a bit. "An animal for a teacher? Well, it's not the weirdest thing to come out of Fabletown."

"By the way, this Farm wouldn't happen to have four animals in particular would it? Like a lion, eagle, badger, and snake?" Dumbledore asked, another idea coming to him.

"Absolutely. Why?"

"Just thinking of something I might do later on."

* * *

"A little more over there Harry."

The once empty and clean apartment was now a bloody mess, literally. Everything was finished except for the last part, Harry having to brush the words 'No More Happily Ever After' on the wall with more blood.

"Here's a clue for Grandpa, whoever put this on the walls couldn't have done it barehanded. They definitely came here prepared for this, so he can rule out spur-of-the-moment motives." He thought out loud.

A knock at a door caught their attention. "Wonder who that could be." Jake said, going to open the door. On the other side was a boy their age with dark hair and blue-green eyes. "Ah Percy, nice of you to show up."

"Sorry I'm late, the big slob was practically willing to chain me to the stove since Mom had to be at her job today." Percy explained, then held out a bag. "Speaking of which, I brought some samples from her store."

"Sweet." Jane said, coming up to him and taking some candy out of the bag.

Percy looked around the room as Jake took some candy too. "Wow, it's almost like The Shining in here."

"Didn't Harry tell you the story?" Jake asked.

Percy nodded. "The whole thing. Death of a woman, recreating the crime scene, I leave anything out?"

Harry shook his head. "No that pretty much sums it up. At least you're here for the clean up."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Lucky me."

Jane snickered then went to grab another drink from the cooler. But when she did so, she paused. There was someone looking in through the window, standing on the catwalk.

"Guys!" She shrieked, naturally caught off guard, and then suddenly the window burst open and the stranger jumped in, holding a wand. All the kids jumped back keeping their eyes on this man.

"Are you Harry Potter?!" The stranger demanded, aiming his wand at the boy. The man looked to be about in his thirties, not exactly athletic but certainly not fat. He had long black hair that went to his shoulders, black eyes, and wore a white shirt with black pants. And he did not look friendly.

Harry backed away, naturally afraid like any eleven year old in his position would be. He eyed the loaned wand, put by the cooler since he didn't need it while painting on the wall. The only thing in his hands was the brush, and that wasn't going to do him any good.

"You recognize this guy?" Jake whispered to Percy, who shook his head. Jane meanwhile was trying to slowly maneuver around the man, but he pointed the wand at her.

"Don't move a muscle girl!" He demanded. "Which Fable girl are you? The one that uses shadows, or the one that used to be a muggle?" As he spoke, his voice developed a bit of a venomous tone, like his own words left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Jane's eyes widened. 'How does he know us?'

"Doesn't matter either way. Cruciatus!"

A beam of light hit Jane and right away she screamed in agony, collapsing on her side and spasming a bit like she was trying to fight off whatever was hurting her.

"Jane!" Harry yelled, lunging at the man with his bare fists. This prompted Jake and Percy to do the same. The man saw this and turned to Harry first, thus canceling his spell on Jane. But before he could cast another the boys made contact and started punching and attacking in any way they could. The man was unprepared for this and struggled to get the eleven year olds off him.

"Get the hell off me!" He shouted, clutching his wand and creating some kind of pulse spell that repelled all three away from him. Harry hit the wall, Jake tumbled over Jane hurting her more, and Percy landed in the kitchen. The man got up and pointed his wand to each of them one by one. "I've fought against tougher men than you children. And I've had to deal with many kids over my lifetime. Nothing you three can do will be enough to overpower me."

The boys were stunned more than hurt, aching at worst, so they were able to get back up soon enough. Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, but the man saw this and fired a spell right at it, destroying it right in Harry's hand.

"Don't get any ideas Boy-Who-Lived." The man threatened, stepping closer. "I need you alive but I don't need you in good condition. Cruciatus!"

Harry tried to dodge but he wasn't fast enough. The spell hit him and it was like every nerve in his body was being directly exposed to a branding iron. He screamed and fell to the floor, trying to fight it off and doing a terrible job at it. All the while the man doing this to him looked like it was just work on his part to make this happen, like there was no satisfaction to take from it.

Jake went up to hims from the side and did a slash attack of all things. The man winced and yelped in pain, backing away and canceling the spell. He checked his side and saw not only a tear in his shirt but an open wound starting to bleed. Confused, he looked to the other boy and saw his hands were now different. Reptilian and clawed.

"What the hell?" He asked, putting pressure on the injury.

Jane stood beside Jake and showed her teeth transform into fangs, with her own hands turning into claws too. Though she only showed her right hand, her left hand was hidden behind her with her own cellphone in it.

"You must be some of those inhuman Fables." The man said, keeping his wand ready again. Then he remembered that Percy was behind him and quickly turned around to see if that boy was going to make any sudden moves too. Right away he fired another cruciatus curse, but since he failed to aim properly he missed Percy and hit the kitchen sink, bursting the faucet and making it spray water everywhere.

Jake and Jane took the opportunity to attack the man again, but he turned around to face them again. Jake slashed and managed to get the wand out of his hands, sending it flying away. Jane got in close and dug her claws into his sides, though she had to stop when he kneed her hard in the stomach.

Harry grabbed a wand and fired off the only spell he knew, a basic cleaning spell. Sure it wasn't offensive but it surely would have done something to the man attacking them. The wand was uncooperative but the spell was cast, sending some blue light at the man. At the same time a blast of water came from the kitchen and hit the man in the back of the head. A blast that looked more like it came from a hose than a burst faucet. The man struggled not to fall as he got away, rubbing his eyes and looking like he had a bit of a rash where Harry's spell had hit him.

All of a sudden Wendy was in the room, having just appeared there behind Jane. One look told her everything she needed to know, and she took out a gun and shot the man in his foot. He hollered like never before and grabbed the wounded body part, giving Wendy a chance to get in close and point her gun right in his face.

"If the next two words out of your mouth are anything but 'I surrender', the third word out of your mouth will be 'Ow my dick my dick why did you shoot me in the dick?'."

The man panicked and struggled to not scream more, but he moved his free hand to his right pocket. Next thing they knew, he was gone.

"Crap, that's not good." Wendy groaned, then put away her gun. Immediately she checked all the kids. "What did he do to you?"

"A lot of things. But he was here for Harry. We were just in the way to him." Jane replied.

"I'll get you to help."

* * *

Jack was laying on the cot in his cell but perked up when he heard the door unlock. "Oh good, lunch. I'm famished." The door opened. "Hey, you're not Bigby."

At the door was Bluebeard dressed in a blue suit, and in his hands was a large platter with a domed lid. "No I'm not." He said, devoid of good emotion.

Jack got uncomfortable. "Uhh... what's on the menu?"

"Your last meal." Bluebeard answered, taking off the lid to reveal a full turkey. He set it down, Jack's eyes trying to look at him rather than the bird, and Bluebeard took a gilded dagger out of his suit pockets.

"I didn't do anything to Rose! I swear!" Jack shouted, backing away.

"Go ahead and deny it all you want boy. I'm more than happy to carve you like this turkey until you confess." Bluebeard threatened.

Jack's eyes darted around for a moment before he gripped the cot and looked Bluebeard square in the eyes. "I do have one thing to say that you might be interested in."

"And what's that?"

"I was never actually chained up in here."

In a burst of movement, Jack bolted from the cot and ran out the door that Bluebeard had carelessly left open. Stunned, Bluebeard didn't react immediately, but the moment passed and he gave chase. Jack however was in much better shape in regards to running and had too much of a head start for the bald Fable to catch up. He sprinted up the stairs and into the entry room of the Woodland.

"Stop!" Grimble shouted, on his feet and moving around his desk.

Jack ignored the security guard and ran outside, right onto Bullfinch Street and off into Manhattan. He caught a cab and told the driver to take him off the island to anywhere.

Back in the Woodland, Bluebeard cursed and fumed before retrieving the turkey. No need to let it go to waste.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Terror

_Fabletown, New York, August 2011_

"Someone attacked these kids? In broad daylight?" Snow exclaimed in horror and disgust.

At the moment Harry, Percy, Jake, and Jane were in Swineheart's clinic, being examined. After confirming that the kids were fit to move, Wendy had brought them there then alerted both Bigby and Snow. Neither were happy to hear about this.

"How bad is it Doc?" Bigby asked.

"They'll recover. None of them took any physical damage aside from some bruises. According to them, the main harm came from something called the Cruciatus which was used on Harry and Jane. In laymen's terms it's a spell to make a person experience severe pain, like acupuncture done with knives, and it's right at the top of MACUSA's illegal spells list. Whoever did this just bought himself a life sentence at… whatever the prison is that MACUSA uses, I forget the name." Swineheart explained.

Bigby growled. "Wendy, get Bo and Piper. We're on a manhunt."

"On it Boss."

"Wait." Snow interjected before Wendy could depart. "Let's ask Dumbledore some questions first."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"This person was clearly a wizard, and it sounds like he's exactly the sort of wizard Dumbledore's been warning us about. I want to see what his approach is when one of them is right here doing something like this."

Bigby smiled and nodded. "You do that. I'm going to check out the crime scene, get the scent before it fades. Wendy, you know what to do. This target takes priority over Jack at the moment."

Before they got here, Bigby had been informed by Grimble of Jack's escape. He had not been happy about that and was going to have harsh words with Bluebeard later, but for now the one who assaulted Harry concerned him more.

"Before you go Mr. Wolf, I've got something to show you." Swineheart added as Wendy left and Snow helped the four kids get ready to go too.

"Sorry boys, but you're probably better off going home." Snow told Jake and Percy. "I'll make sure you're escorted just to be safe."

The doctor led Bigby into one of the patient recovery rooms, where he saw a woman he couldn't identify seated on a hospital bed, with bandages on her head and a cast around her neck.

"Is this who I think it is?" Bigby asked.

Swineheart nodded. "Be careful interviewing her, her voice is still rough."

Bigby nodded too and sat on a chair beside the bed. "You can still write, can you?" The woman gave a thumbs up. "Doctor, please get me some paper and a pen."

* * *

"Mr. Dumbledore?" Snow said when she found the old man, who was currently eating at the I Am the Eggman Diner. The place was pretty sparse at the moment, with only the staff and two other Fables present. "I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Certainly Miss White." He said, allowing her and Harry to sit in his booth. "What troubles you?"

"Tell me about these people that want to hurt Harry. Who exactly are they and what do they want?"

Dumbledore looked uncomfortable. "I don't think this is suitable for children's ears."

"A man just attacked Harry today. A man who claimed he was working for a 'dark lord'. I don't have the patience for you to be ready to treat this like a real problem. So tell me what I want to know, or you can go back to England tonight for all I care."

Dumbledore nodded and put down his fork. "Alright, sorry to offend. Now, the dark lord in question is a vile man who calls himself Lord Voldemort. He is quite simply a monster that wishes to purge the magical community of Britain of anyone he deems unworthy to live in it. It saddens me that he has managed to gain such a devoted following of people that wish the same. They call themselves Death Eaters."

"So basically they're terrorists." Harry noted.

Dumbledore frowned like an adult hearing a child use a swear word. "That's an unfair accusation."

"Are they murderers? Do they terrorize innocent people? Do they kill innocent people claiming their victims deserve to die? Do they claim that the world is better off without their victims in it? Do they commit crimes in order to accomplish their goals?" Snow asked, and Dumbledore failed to respond. "If the answer is yes to any of those, then yes they are the dictionary definition of terrorists."

Dumbledore kept his frown. "They're just misguided. They can be reformed."

Snow glared in a way that made the old wizard feel like he just made a big mistake saying that. "So that's your stance on this? A man attacks a child with intent to kill and you say 'oh he doesn't know any better'? Go back to England you old bastard, you are no longer welcome in Fabletown."

"Wait." Dumbledore quickly replied. "I didn't mean it like that."

Snow stood up. "Yeah, they never do."

"Wait." Dumbledore pleaded, trying not to sound desperate, and he was thankful that Snow didn't just ignore him. "I'm sorry to offend. If you'll allow me I can go into better detail on my reaction. Rest assured, I am not at all thrilled about what just happened to Harry and would take firm action if I could."

Snow sat back down, but she looked at him in a way that reminded him of his own mother when he had pushed her buttons.

Dumbledore took a moment to clear his throat. "I suppose that your use of the word 'terrorist' is not an unfitting word. After all, by your definition the Death Eaters sadly do fit into the perimeters. I simply never thought of it in that sense before, and from my perspective, the term 'terrorist' is not a word to be used lightly."

"So why take offense if you're not on their side?" Snow remarked, still annoyed. "If you're not a Death Eater and no one you're close to is a Death Eater, you shouldn't take the word 'terrorist' personally."

"It implies that all Death Eaters are the same, and I know for a fact that is not the case. There have been some that came to their senses and left the group, and there have been some that were threatened in numerous ways to work in the group's favor. To say that they are terrorists is to imply that every single one of them is horrid and deserves punishment, even the ones that are repentant or innocent."

"If they did the crime then they are still on some level terrorists, even if they felt bad afterwards." Snow pressed.

Harry nodded. "A murderer is still a murderer even if they say 'sorry'."

Dumbledore frowned slightly. "One of my closest colleagues is a former Death Eater who realized that the group endangered someone he cared about and defected. He does not deserve to be seen on the same level as those that are unrepentant and deserve to be in jail."

Snow leaned back. "Maybe, but frankly that's for the courts to decide, not a school teacher like yourself." She then sighed in frustration. "Could one of these Death Eaters have gotten here to America?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Of course. While many have been imprisoned and some pardoned, not all have been brought to justice. It would not surprise me to discover some of them fleeing the country and starting anew. But how would any of them be aware of Harry being in Fabletown?" He turned to Harry. "Can you describe the man Harry?"

He nodded. "He was tall, and while not fat he wasn't exactly skinny either. He had long dark hair, more brown than black, he had a beard, and I couldn't really get a good look at his eyes. Honestly he looked like someone who would star in a Tim Burton movie. But sadly there was nothing that really stood out about him."

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Sadly that was not an uncommon description of many Death Eaters in the past. I wish I could do more, but it's not like I brought a profile on Death Eaters here with me. That wouldn't exactly help me with recruiting Harry into Hogwarts now would it? But if I may, can I add something?"

"Go on." Snow said.

"If there is a free Death Eater here in America, and one that knows where Harry lives, that means Harry is in danger here. Somehow this Death Eater learned of this and decided to act on it, and it seems they still hold true to what Voldemort preached. What if he's not the only one?"

Snow frowned but sighed. "You're right. As long as this man is free Harry is in danger. But on the other hand, there are more of these Death Eaters in England. How can you be certain that the same will not happen there?"

Dumbledore paused to carefully phrase his answer. "Sadly I cannot promise that Harry's presence at Hogwarts would remain unknown. He is rather famous back in Britain and would be identified sooner or later. But I can assure you that his well-being will be my top priority and I will ensure that no criminal Death Eaters will have access to him on my watch."

Snow kept her eyes on the old wizard, reminding him of when Totenkinder was picking apart his arguments. Then she nodded. "While I'm not sold on it yet, I did encourage Bigby to send Lily to your school when a maniac threatened her life here. So right now, despite my issues with you, I'm in favor of Harry going. But I will not commit to that until after I hear from the Ilvermorny representative and discuss this with them."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Thank you. And if you don't mind, what exactly was the problem with Lily all those years ago?"

"Lily appeared in Fabletown as a really young child years ago, and Bigby took her in. She was really enamored with him and he was soon wrapped around her finger. Then a Fable with a long history of criminal activity came and tried to kill her. They got away but promised vengeance. So for Lily's own safety, we sent her to England and hid her identity as a Fable."

Dumbledore looked shocked to hear this. "Why would someone want to kill Lily back then?"

Snow shrugged. "Search me. The worst part of this is that they still haven't been caught, and I have worried that they might go after Harry too. But whoever did this to Harry isn't the same person. This sounds like a wizard, and Lily's assaulter was definitely a Fable."

"Lily was safe in Hogwarts despite being the target of murderers, I imagine Harry would be safe too."

Snow nodded. "I'll hold you to it."

* * *

The Woolworth Building was one of many historic landmarks in New York City. Until 1930 it was the largest building in the world, and the mundies used it for various businesses since it had been completed. Unknown to them there was another use to it. Wizards had sneaked in during it's construction and carefully added to its structure, and this gave them the perfect place to store the head of the American wizarding government.

The entry hall of MACUSA headquarters was a sight to behold. It was similar to a cathedral at first glance, several hundred feet tall and decorated with all sorts of gothic or valuable colors, but clearly designed for business rather than worship. Each floor was visible from the entrance with a ring-around walkway and visible doors, with elevators and stairs connecting them. Statues and monuments to historical figures were spread around. In the center of the main floor was a monument to the infamous Salem Witch Trials, and while most historians couldn't agree on how many if any witches were actually sentenced during those trials, they did agree the memory of the event was significant enough to immortalize.

But three people here did not come for the view. Wendy along with two others, a man and a woman, went up to the receptionist desk. "We need to speak with the auror department."

"You have a crime to report?" The receptionist asked.

"Yes, a man just assaulted four children and used one of the Unforgivables on two of them."

The receptionist's eyes widened and she immediately went for her phone. A few minutes later she hung up. "Mr. Waverly in Room 534 will see you now."

They took the elevator down and went to the aforementioned room. They were greeted by a tall man with short black hair and brown eyes behind glasses. He wore a dark purple shirt with an open brown jacket over it, and overall looked like he could have easily passed as a member of NYPD who was on call but not on duty.

"Hello, I'm Marvin Waverly, part of MACUSA Special Victims Unit."

The woman with Wendy blinked, looking confused. "Special Victims Unit? No one was raped."

"We include the Unforgivables and child crimes in our department. And from what I'm told, you're reporting both."

Wendy nodded. "I'm Wendy Darling, these are my associates Pied Piper and Bo Beep. If it wasn't already obvious, we're from Fabletown."

Waverly took this in. "So what brings you here to MACUSA? Isn't our policy 'take care of our own problems'?"

"Not when the suspect is a wizard who viciously attacks children. And we have reason to believe this wizard is part of a known terrorist cell who have deadly intent towards one of our citizens." Piper explained.

Waverly showed surprise then nodded. "Agreed, we need to collaborate on such an incident. Tell me about the crime."

* * *

"Why did you bring me here Miss White?"

After they had left the diner Snow had brought Harry and Dumbledore to the head office of Fabletown, where she told Harry to stay until she or Bigby came back. That way there was no chance of a follow-up attack on him. Then Snow had brought Dumbledore outside and into a car, where she drove him into the city. She came to a stop at an open place decorated with several American flags.

"This is Ground Zero, the site of the most terrible terrorist attack New York has ever seen." She told him, getting out of the car and gesturing for him to do the same. Dumbledore did not look comfortable with this but could tell Snow was trying to tell him something. With her previous bad mood at him he was not about to alienate her further.

"There used to be two skyscrapers here, the World Trade Center." She continued as the two walked closer to the memorial. "I won't bother telling you what their significance was since it had nothing to do with your lifestyle, but it was a very important place. On September 11, 2001, which was a little less than two months before Harry's parents were killed, a group of armed terrorist hijacked two airplanes with innocent civilians on them and deliberately crashed those planes into the two towers here. The crash even destroyed the buildings, killing practically everyone inside too. It was a truly horrible day that left a scar on this country of ours."

Dumbledore looked around the area in shock. He tried to picture such an event but it was proving difficult for him. Not that he couldn't, after all he had been around during WWII and seen the damage of Voldemort as well. He knew full well that attacks of this magnitude were possible. But that didn't make it easier to accept.

Snow then turned to face the old wizard. "And do you know why the terrorists did that?"

"I can guess, but I suspect you have an answer you already want to tell me." He replied.

"Because they could. Because they felt that Americans deserved it. Because they honestly believed that they were on the right side and their god would reward them for their bravery and sacrifice. They truly believed that they were heroes Dumbledore, but to us they were terrorists."

She then took a step closer to him. "So tell me, how are these Death Eaters any different?"

Dumbledore looked around, trying to compose his thoughts. In doing so he saw a family paying respects to someone long dead and a little girl putting a flower on a memorial. It reminded him quite a lot of how some wizards had paid respects to the Potters at Godric's Hollow after the war had ended.

"While the methods may be different and the cause not the same, I cannot deny that the results and motivation are inherently the same." He stated somberly. "If the Death Eaters had the means, they would gladly repeat this exact moment on every muggle city on the planet."

"These are the kind of people who killed Harry's parents. These are the kind of people who you're asking us to trust you to protect Harry from. So tell me, how can we possibly trust you to do that if you want to believe that they aren't bad people?"

Dumbledore sighed and closed his eyes. "Does not everyone deserve a second chance?"

"Only the repentant deserve forgiveness. Maybe some of these Death Eaters have changed their ways, but clearly not all of them have. Ten years is a long time Dumbledore, so I'd say those that haven't changed by now aren't going to. A decade is more than enough time for grown adults to decide what they believe is right or wrong. It's time to stop pretending that they just need more time to see the light."

Dumbledore slowly nodded and looked at Snow. "I suppose you're right Miss White." He closed his eyes for a moment, looking like this was hard for him. "It's just… I find it hard to be as merciless as you're asking me to be. I truly do believe that given enough time and care everyone can become a better person. Is that such a terrible thing to believe?"

"No, it's not… if you're a school teacher dealing with kids who are causing small problems or going through phases. It _is_ unfitting of someone who wants to take an active stand in a war and lead others to do the same. These Death Eaters aren't your students anymore Professor, putting them in detention and hoping they'll think about what they did isn't going to work anymore. Try and keep that in mind please."

"I… I will try."

* * *

Back in the head office of Fabletown, Harry was seated at Snow's desk writing on a piece of paper. Until he got interrupted by a flying blue monkey.

"Whatcha doing Harry?"

"I'm trying to go over everything I can from my attack earlier Bufkin. I want to see if I can figure anything out that might narrow down who this guy is."

"Is that the sheriff's job?" The monkey asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah but don't you remember Bufkin? I want to become sheriff of Fabletown when I'm older. I got to know detective work in order to make that happen."

"Oh so you want to be like Sherlock Holmes?" Bufkin asked.

"Sort of, but more like Grandpa. Besides wasn't Sherlock Holmes one of those 'really just a story' characters and not a true Fable?"

"Oh I'm sure there was a real Sherlock Holmes. I'll look it up." Bufkin then flew off the desk and went to search the many many bookshelves of the office.

"Okay, where was I? Guy's description, no obvious accent, used a wand so likely a wizard." He noted, reading his paper. "He called me Harry Potter, not Harry Wolf. So he's obviously aware of my old name but not my current one. Or at least not concerned about it. He also called me 'Boy-Who-Lived'. Does that mean anything to wizards? It's been a while since I had to talk to one myself other than Mr. Dumbledore."

He tried to think some more. "He came for me, but he seemed aware of Jane. Yeah, he said 'girl who uses shadows' and 'girl who used to be a mundy'. That means he knows about Coraline too, but not enough to tell the two apart. So we've got a wizard who's informed about Fables but not informed enough and seems to be on some kind of mission to acquire me for some 'dark lord'. Like he was one of those Death Eaters that Mr. Dumbledore was telling us about."

A thought came to Harry making his eyes widen. "Wait, he said 'girl who used to be a muggle'. He didn't say 'mundy', he said 'muggle'. That's the same word Mr. Dumbledore has been using. That means this guy came from Europe, and that means it's _very_ likely he's a Death Eater."

He leaned back in the chair, taking this in. 'Could that dark lord guy be here too? Maybe going to England for a few months wouldn't be such a bad idea.'

* * *

After leaving Ground Zero, Dumbledore had returned to his hotel allowed to continue his stay at Fabletown, and Snow had returned to the Woodland. In the lobby she saw Bigby who looked like he had been waiting for her.

"Heard anything?" She asked.

"My employees are going over details with MACUSA and I've talked with Bluebeard about what he did with Jack. Guy's lucky that the worst we could do was fine him for unintentionally aiding the escape of a suspect in custody. Aside from that, I need your help."

"With what?" Snow asked.

Bigby smiled. "I think I have a way to wrap up the Rose Red case, but to do it, I'm going to need you to be my date for one night."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Remembrance Day

_Fabletown, New York, August 2011_

"Happy Remembrance Day everyone!" Harry greeted as people came to the ballroom of the Woodland. The entrance hall to the building was extravagantly decorated and packed with people wearing their best. Many of whom were buying raffle tickets for a grand prize at Grimble's desk.

"Looking good Harry. How'd you get the suit?" Flycatcher asked as he came up to the well-dressed boy, while he himself still wearing his orange janitor outfit.

"Miss White insisted, though don't ask me how she afforded it." Harry replied. He was currently wearing an age appropriate suit, mostly black with some visible blue.

"I think you look great Harry." Jane said, coming up to her friend with Wendy not far behind. Jane was wearing a shoulderless but not sleeveless violet dress with a black sash around her waist, and Wendy wore a shoulderless and sleeveless sapphire blue dress with a red sash around her own waist, and a cut that displayed a modest amount of cleavage.

"I'm glad to see that MACUSA agreed to help with security here." Wendy noted, looking around. There were a couple of aurors mixed into the crowd, dressed for the occasion and practically indistinguishable from any other guest here. The only thing that came close to a giveaway was they were the only ones here who didn't share in the festive spirit, which was only something you'd notice if you were looking for it.

"You don't think that guy will make a repeat appearance here do you?" Harry asked, not sounded as certain as he wanted to.

"Not going to take that chance. Besides, we still have no proof that he's the only one here." Wendy told the young boy.

"Can't you use your powers to find out Wendy?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Sorry Harry, they don't work that way. We'd need Spoiler for that kind of power and no one wants him around."

"Hey Harry, is that Dumbledore guy going to be here?" Jane asked.

Harry nodded. "I think so, but he's not here yet. I'm just waiting for Grandpa to show up."

"I think he's waiting for Miss White to get ready." Coraline asked as she showed up. She wore a modest light blue sundress with thin vertical white stripes. Accompanying her was Violet from the Blue Grocer, wearing an orange dress, and a tall thin man with brown hair wearing a brown suit.

"Hey Violet, Augustus, if you're here who's managing the caterers?" Harry asked in a teasing matter.

"We're off the clock Harry, let whoever the bigshots hire do that job." Violet replied. "By the way, what exactly are they raffling off? I think the sign said 'win a kingdom' or something."

"Oh that? Well, from what I heard from Snow, Charming's selling his land because right now it's his only way to make any money. A raffle's just a way to make people think they're winning it rather than buying it."

Coraline just looked confused. "But it's back in the Homelands, and controlled by the Adversary. Who would want a kingdom they can't go to?"

"Like they say, the lottery is just a tax on stupid people my dear." Snow said as she came up. She was wearing an elegant dark blue dress with sleeves but no shoulders and a pearl necklace that looked more like a choker. "Hello everyone."

"Hello Miss White." Everyone greeted back. After all she was practically the one in charge of the entire community.

"So where's Bigby?" Snow asked, looking around.

"I thought he was with you." Harry answered. "I've been waiting for both of you here."

Snow rolled her eyes and sighed in exacerbation. "I just hope he knows what he's doing. We've already got trouble with Bluebeard thanks to all this, and Mayor Cole really appreciates his donations every year. The last thing we need is for Bluebeard to decide Fabletown's not worth it because of the situation with Jack."

They all went inside the ballroom, seeing the various Fables mingle and reminisce about old times, like when Fabletown was just starting out and how things had changed since then. The ballroom itself was rather fancy and much bigger than the building should have allowed inside it. In the center was a small mountain with trees and two waterfalls pouring into a pool. Three Greek gazebos were by the pool, where a band was playing soft music.

"This is different than last year." Violet said, looking around. "Didn't they have a big apple tree in the middle with some flowers at the base?"

"No that was 2009. Last year was the moving ice sculptures and the chocolate fountain." Augustus corrected.

Violet chuckled and patted his arm. "Leave it to you to remember a chocolate fountain."

* * *

"So you gentlemen and ladies are the best magic users of Fabletown aside from Miss Totenkinder?"

By one of the tables adorned with some of the offered food and beverages Dumbledore stood talking to three people. Said trio consisted of a young blonde girl who looked younger than Harry, a man who was dressed much like a mundy stage magician, and a beautiful black-haired woman in an old-fashioned dark green dress.

"Some may say otherwise, but yes the three of us are the most powerful magical Fables in town." The young girl answered. "My name is Ozma."

"I'm Abraham Kadabra. You can call me Abra or Kadabra." The man said, giving a bow like he was performing.

"And I'm Morgan le Faye." The woman added.

Dumbledore's eyes widened. "Wait, you're not..."

She nodded. "_The_ Morgan le Faye."

"But… but that would make you..."

She nodded. "Yes, I am that old, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't make a fuss over it."

Dumbledore took a moment to clear his throat. "Pardon. Now I know it's improper to discuss business at parties, but would any of you be interested in having a job at Hogwarts this year?"

Ozma shook her head. "I doubt any students would take me seriously there."

Morgan put a hand on her chin. "I might be open to it, but wizards and me don't exactly have the best history if you know what I mean."

Kadabra smiled. "I would be willing. My son Arrab went to Hogwarts and I've been interested in seeing the school for myself."

Dumbledore blinked in surprise. "Your son? But I thought that Lily Wolf was the only Fable who attended Hogwarts."

"My son was inspired by her to attend too. He started his first year in 2002 and graduated in 2009. Don't you recall a student named Arrab Kadabra?"

Dumbledore thought it over. "It does ring a bell, but right now that's all the familiarity I'm getting. It is hard to remember every student my school has, especially when I don't get to interact with all of them."

"So what's the job exactly?" Kadabra asked.

"Quiet, it's time." Ozma said, gesturing towards the back of the ballroom. Everyone turned to face that way.

By the band there was a podium surrounded by roses, to which a somewhat portly man with white hair and a beard wearing a black tux came up and tapped a microphone, silencing the band and getting everyone's attention. "Hello everyone and welcome to Remembrance Day at the Woodland. I'm sure I need no introduction."

He really didn't. He was Old King Cole, the long term mayor of Fabletown and quite the generous one. Despite the fact Fabletown was democratic no one had actually run against him in an election since he took office, so for the time being Cole was going to stay mayor indefinitely.

"We gather here today as friends and neighbors, but there was a time we would all be strangers to each other. Once we were all part of many countries and kingdoms, scattered over several worlds that were not this one. Some of us were kings, some were cobblers, some were witches or woodcarvers. We had our saints, our sinners, our social status climbers, but from the grandest lord to the hungriest peasant, the one thing we all were was strangers to each other. It took an invasion to unite us as a common people."

He paused for a bit, allowing the people in the room to recall that day in their lives when everything they knew came crashing down and nothing would ever be the same for them again. It had been devastating for them all, most all knowing at least one who did not escape like they had.

"Beyond the shores, in a land we paid no mind to, there was the one we all know as the Adversary. As we went about our lives, he massed his power, letting his ambitions grow with each day. Some of us would claim he is just a woodland sprite who went dark, some say he's a sorcerer who has been corrupted by the devil himself, some would even say he _is _the devil himself. But whoever the Adversary is, whatever his origin, we know now that he has become a thing of horror with an insatiable hunger, who conquered his own world, killing each king with a single sword, then turned his eyes on our homes."

Dumbledore blinked. 'So this Adversary is like a Voldemort who did win?'

"When the Emerald City of Oz fell to the Adversary's small army, most of us ignored it in favor of asking what were we going to have for dinner that day." Cole continued grimly. "We took no pleasure in the suffering of the innocents there, but we found the inhabitants odd and the land too far away. We saw no reason to intervene. Then Narnia suffered the same fate, with the great lion Aslan slain by the Adversary's soldiers. We again did nothing, most of us who knew the lion thought he was a little too holier-than-thou for his own good. Then Neverland was conquered, with no army to defend it except playful children and sour pirates. It stood no chance against a fleet of armed soldiers."

"All it takes for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing." Dumbledore whispered to himself, feeling the same inspiration he got when he decided to fight Voldemort the first time.

"One by one all our kingdoms fell under the Adversary's domain, creating an empire that spanned realms. We had thought he was only after a select few, but it soon became clear he wanted all of the Fable worlds. None of us were safe from his ambition, and by the time we realized that, it was too late to take action. He was just too powerful. Many of us didn't even have the chance to run away." Cole added.

'This man is sounding more and more like Voldemort. I hope Harry will see this and understand our plight now.' Dumbledore thought.

"But some of us _did_ run away." Cole claimed. "We survived, we hid, living as outlaws and avoiding capture. Small groups banded together and over time we finally had a glimmer of hope. There was one world, and only one world, that the Adversary had no interest in conquering. That one world he would not go to was our sanctuary, if we could just get there. As you can see, we have."

This was where Cole started to smile. "Here, we have done more than survive. We have thrived. We have put aside past titles and grievances, united against a common enemy, and made covenant with each other. Be us predator or prey, prince or pauper, beauty or beast, we are a single community, allied in our undying memory of the homelands, and the unshakable hope that someday, somehow, we will be able to get our homes back from the one who drove us out of them."

He then held up a glass of clear wine as if to toast something. "So ladies and gentlemen, lift your glasses and join me in this toast." Others did just that. "To the Homelands."

"To the Homelands." Everyone in the room said, including Dumbledore.

'A magical community that doesn't divide itself based on heredity. Their lifestyle might be vastly different than ours, but my home could learn a lot from these people.' He thought.

Cole set down his glass. "Thank you everyone, now, let's get to what you all really came here for. To celebrate." He left the podium and the band resumed playing, with some couples starting to dance.

"Let's talk business later." Dumbledore said to Kadabra, who nodded and walked off. Dumbledore went off as well and saw Harry approaching a boy who was sitting on a velvet bench and sulking. "Hello Harry, good to see you. And who is your friend?"

"Hello Mr. Dumbledore. I didn't know you were already here. Hope you're enjoying yourself. And this is Pinocchio. You've heard of him right?"

"I believe I'm familiar with the story." The old wizard said, looking at the child. "You look unhappy my boy. Are you not enjoying yourself?"

"No, I'm not. I never have fun at these things." Pinocchio sulked. "I'm only here because sooner or later, that blue fairy will show her mug. Then I'll kick her ass."

"Language my boy."

Pinocchio looked at the senior wizard. "I've over a thousand years old gramps."

Dumbledore blinked. "You're older than me?" 'Wow, even Nicholas Flamel doesn't look this young for his age.'

"We Fables age _very_ gracefully." Harry told the old man.

Pinocchio huffed. "_Some_ of us don't age at all. I said I wanted to be a real boy, I never said I wanted to _stay_ a boy. I'm over ten centuries old and I still haven't gone through puberty. I want to look old enough that I can drive, go to bars, and hook up with a girl. So excuse me for cussing."

"Boy, you sure are different than that Disney movie." Dumbledore remarked. Though he felt he had said something he shouldn't when the former puppet gave him a rather offended look.

"Ex-nay on the D word sir." Harry warned. "Some people here do _not_ appreciate being compared to those movies."

"I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

Snow was still alone looking around, keeping her eye on Harry most of the time but also looking for Bigby. Until she saw someone approach her.

"Excuse me, are you Deputy-Mayor White?" He asked.

"I am. You are?" She replied, not recognizing him at all.

"My name is Rufus Range, and I work for the Ilvermorny School of Magic."

Snow perked and gave him a hand shake. "Oh hello, we've been expecting you. Odd that you came today of all days."

"Business got in the way, it happens as I'm sure you're aware of. Sadly that means today may be my only chance for… Harry Wolf was it?" He asked, and Snow nodded. "Right, thanks to the delay I can't really put off my recruitment pitch anymore. Not without cutting into his time to prepare for the school if he accepts."

Snow looked into the ballroom, seeing Harry chatting with a few others oblivious to her. "Not the best time, but if you're short on time I'm sure he'll spare some for you."

Rufus smiled. "Thank you. Would you mind sending him out here? It's a little too loud and crowded in there for me to do my job properly. And I'd rather not have to answer anyone else's questions. His are the only important ones in this situation."

Snow nodded. "That's understandable. I'll go get him for you. Make yourself comfortable." She started to turn away but stopped and looked back to him. "Oh, while we're on the matter, the headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Magic is here too to offer Harry a chance to attend. Would you like to discuss anything with him?"

Rufus froze and looked like he was both surprised and scared to be told this. "Uhh… no, that will be unnecessary. Just Harry will do."

"Okay." Snow replied, sounding uncertain, then she went into the ballroom. A quick glance behind her let her see Rufus go outside, staying by the entry door to the Woodland but she couldn't get a good look anymore.

"Sorry to make you wait." Bigby said as he came up to her. Like Harry he was wearing a suit, in fact it almost looked like the two had shopped together. Given how Snow had arranged for both to get their suits that wasn't exactly inaccurate.

"There you are." She said when she saw him. "I was starting to think I'd been stood up."

"Would it matter? You always go to this thing stag anyway."

Snow looked annoyed but she still smiled. "Yeah but you have to set a good example for Harry, who by the way is much more of a gentlemen than you are." She motioned to the boy who was having a slow dance with Coraline at the moment.

"Hey, I'm the Big Bad Wolf, not the Socially Acceptable Wolf." He joked, then took the lovely woman into a dance.

"Well Mr. Wolf, I need you to look into something. There's a man here claiming to be from Ilvermorny wanting to speak to Harry. But which I mentioned that Dumbledore was here he looked like I held a gun to his face."

Bigby raised an eyebrow. "That's an unusual reaction. Think they have history?"

"I don't know how, but you don't act like that if you don't have a reason for it. Check the guy out, if he's clear then we can have him talk to Harry."

Bigby nodded. "Will do." He walked away and sure enough found the man at the door, looking a little fidgety. As a predator, Bigby compared him to a rabbit that knew a fox was nearby but wasn't sure where, wanting to bolt but not knowing where to bolt to. "Are you here for Harry Wolf?"

The man saw him and composed himself. "Yes, I'm Rufus Range from Ilvermorny. And you are?"

"Bigby Wolf, sheriff of Fabletown and legal guardian of Harry. He's occupied, as kids are at these things, but while you wait I'd like to ask you a few things."

Rufus nodded. "I understand. What would you like to know?"

"How was your own time as a student there?" Bigby asked, leading them away from the door more into the open. Rufus didn't mind, especially as a woman accompanied by a child were trying to enter the Woodland. They were going in a hurry, probably because they were clearly late to the party. Neither Bigby nor Rufus noticed that the child walking past them stared at them for a good chunk of time.

"Ah, you see I didn't attend Ilvermorny as a student. I was schooled elsewhere and came here for work."

"Oh, and what exactly do you do?" Bigby asked.

"I work as a cultural educator and adviser. It's my job to know about what other magical communities are like and inform the students about them. Their strengths, their differences, that sort of thing."

"Ah, so you must know about the Hogwarts school." Bigby noted.

Rufus nodded. "Yes, virtually everyone who works in magical education knows of Hogwarts. What about it?"

"Does it live up to it's reputation?"

"Well, as an educator, I believe it does a good job regarding teaching magic, but some subjects are virtually unnecessary for the real world. I do have my reservations about the headmaster and his choices over his career if I may be honest."

Bigby looked intrigued. "Do tell. We have some reservations about the headmaster as well."

Rufus relaxed more to hear that. "Well, am I correct in assuming you are aware of the scandal involving a dark lord back in Britain?"

"You mean with that Voldemort guy and the Death Eater terrorists?"

Rufus nodded. "What you may not know is that Mr. Dumbledore, despite his vocal stance against it all, in a way is responsible for the entire situation."

Bigby looked confused but interested. "Explain."

"As I understand it, Dumbledore years ago had been trying to force some changes onto the magical community of Britain. Changes they were not in favor of. Changes they were not ready to cope with. But Dumbledore tried to force them onto the people, tried to change so many aspects of their lifestyle virtually overnight. The Dark Lord in question was, in my opinion, the natural response of the people telling him to back off."

Bigby frowned. "You think someone starting genocidal extremism is a 'natural response'?"

Rufus nodded. "It is when you push for too much too soon onto people who essentially have everything to lose in the process. Tell me Fable, if MACUSA tried to take away everything that makes Fabletown be Fabletown and told you that all your privileges and freedoms were going to go to someone else, don't you think at least one Fable would have an extreme reaction?"

"I see. But still, Voldemort chose to do it. While Dumbledore should have known he'd be met with opposition, he is not responsible for how others express it."

"Did he tell you he tried fighting against the Death Eaters?" Rufus continued, and Bigby nodded. "He probably wants you to think that he led his own army and was active in the fight. Truth is, he and his followers barely did anything. Records show that the Death Eaters killed a lot of people, both magical and non-magical, but few were ever caught or killed in the crossfires. Not during the war itself. Dumbledore virtually never led anyone into actual battle, and from what I've been told, they acted purely defensively. Almost like they were trying to win without actually hurting the enemy."

"Considering what Snow told me, I find that plausible." Bigby admitted.

"So not only did Dumbledore provoke the Dark Lord into starting a war, he didn't do much to actually end it." Rufus added. "A one year old child did more to end the war than he did. Frankly if I were you, I wouldn't want to send anyone to Hogwarts as long as he's in charge."

"You make a good argument, but I would not be doing my job if I didn't check into the details. I'll keep this in mind, but for now I'll go get my grandson."

"Thank you sir." Rufus replied.

* * *

"Harry!"

At the moment the aforementioned boy was by himself, trying to remember where the nearest bathroom in the building was without having to go back up to his apartment. Hearing his name made him turn around, seeing another boy coming towards him. "Ah there you are Percy. Where have you been?"

"Harry, he's here."

Harry looked confused. "Who's here?"

"That man. The one that attacked us in the empty apartment. I just saw him. He's here."

Harry's eyes widened. "Where?"

"Outside talking to your grandpa, I saw him on my way in. I'm just lucky he didn't see me."

"You positive?" Harry asked.

Percy nodded. "I know it's him. What's he doing coming back here tonight of all nights? He couldn't possibly think he can attack you with so many witnesses around can he?"

"I can't imagine he'd be here for anything other than finishing the job, but for the life of me I'm not sure how he can. What should we do?" Harry replied.

"You get somewhere safe. Somewhere he can't find you. I'll find the others and alert the adults." Percy said in a not-quite commanding tone.

Harry nodded. "Thanks Perce, I owe you one." The two parted, with Harry heading towards the elevators and Percy into the ballroom.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: The Enemy Among Us

_Fabletown, New York, August 2011_

Harry went up to his apartment and locked it once inside. But he didn't act like a panicked child. Bigby had taken the time to prepare him for what to do in case of an intruder in the Woodland. As such, he was in a safe place and would not draw attention to himself, but he still had to prepare for the worst case scenario.

He went into his room and looked in his closet, finding and taking out what looked like an old shoe box, and put it on his bed, keeping the lid on.

'I may not legally be allowed to possess my own wand yet outside of practice, but that doesn't mean I can't use other magical tools if worse comes to worse.'

* * *

Percy went back outside the Woodland but stayed close to the entrance. He could see Bigby still talking with that man, but the conversation was close to ending. Not wanting to be spotted, he went back inside and went into the ballroom, looking around for anyone who would be willing to listen to him.

"Excuse me." He said, coming up to Snow. At the moment the deputy-mayor was talking to a chubby dark-haried man Percy had never seen before. Next to him were two kids Percy was also unfamiliar with, a blonde girl who looked like she was his age, and a brunette boy a few years older. They both looked a little uncomfortable being there. "Excuse me, Miss White?"

"Hey kid, do you always interrupt adults?" The man asked, sounding irritated.

"It's alright Mr. Tucci, I know this boy." Snow assured, though she looked a little annoyed herself. "What is it Percy?"

"That man is here. The one that attacked us, he's talking to Mr. Wolf right now."

Snow's eyes widened and her hand went to cover her mouth. "Are you absolutely positive?" Percy nodded, then Snow remembered something. "He's talking to Mr. Wolf? Right now? Did you hear what they were saying?"

"Am I missing something here?" The man Snow referred to as Mr. Tucci asked, sounding more annoyed than concerned.

"We potentially have a dangerous man here. Could you maybe do something about it Sir?" Snow asked.

Mr. Tucci shook his head. "Sorry, I came here to party. If the guy starts going crazy then maybe I'll do something. Until then, he should be enough for you to handle."

"I can do something sir." The brunette boy offered, sounding eager to do something more exciting here.

Mr. Tucci brushed him off. "Leave it to the locals Leo."

"C'mon Mr.-" The blonde girl started, but Mr. Tucci looked towards her with a firm face.

"Don't fight me on this Annie or next year you won't get to attend this."

Snow and Mr. Tucci's company all frowned but none of them pressed the matter. Snow looked back to Percy. "I'll go find Wendy, she's the one who can get the best positive ID on this guy. Until then, find Harry and the other kids and get them somewhere safe."

"Harry's already informed, but I'll go tell the others." Percy corrected with a nod, then went off. Snow walked away too, looking for Bigby's employee.

"No need to search, here I am."

Snow stopped and turned around, seeing Wendy right there behind her standing as if she was there the entire time. Which of course was completely impossible. "How did you-?"

"I saw what was already written, nothing happens on screen that I don't know about. Technically I'm bending the rules by coming to you rather than letting you contact me, but it's better to bend the fourth wall than to break it. Believe me, it can hurt."

Snow had so much to ask about that and she didn't know where to start. Bigby had never given her a straight answer as to how Wendy 'worked' but it was clear that he did know what she was capable of. Snow could never make sense of it though. "Fine, if you know what I want then go do it. Why waste time telling me?"

"Establishing a scene, that's all." Wendy said before leaving.

'I'm not going to just stand around and wait for this to blow over.' Snow thought, rushing up to her office to get a weapon. And maybe it was her paranoia getting the better of her, but she wanted her deadliest one.

* * *

Bigby began to walk away with Rufus following. He led him into the building and to the elevators. Rufus didn't question it at all. Though he was a little confused when they reached the top. The elevator opened at the roof, showing a luxury suite not unlike a penthouse.

"Is this your house?" Rufus asked.

"No, this is the house of Mayor Cole. Only place in Fabletown that has a pool." Bigby said, leading him out of the elevator. Once Rufus left, Bigby hit a few buttons in the elevator and walked out himself. The elevator then went down.

"Is Harry here?" Rufus asked, looking around.

"No, and he's not going to be anywhere near you."

Rufus blinked and looked to Bigby. "What do you mean?"

"You must have brass balls to come here again you bastard. How did you plan to kill him this time?" Bigby growled, stepping forward.

"Mr. Wolf I don't know what you're talking about."

"I've got the best nose in all of Fabletown, maybe even the world." Bigby informed the wizard, tapping his nose as he did. "After my grandson was attacked by some unknown person, I of course checked him for foreign scents. And I found one, and I can smell it again. On you."

Rufus gulped and stepped back.

Bigby stepped forward. "Tell me why you tried to kill my grandson and I'll leave you for the wizards to trial and prosecute. Fight me, and we'll see how good wizards fly without brooms."

Rufus narrowed his eyes and pulled out his wand. "Not so tough now are you Fable?"

Bigby looked like he could not be less afraid. He just went in barehanded ready to apprehend the man. Rufus fired a spell that hit Bigby square in the chest. It felt similar to a bullet, Bigby knew from experience, and it did similar damage, putting a hole clear through his body. Yet he charged on and threw a punch at the surprised wizard.

Rufus fell to the floor, dropping his wand. Bigby kicked it away, putting a hand over his wound, then crouched down and grabbed Rufus's arm, pinning it behind the downed man.

"You just assaulted an officer, that means we can get first jurisdiction over your trial now." Bigby warned. "You're basically already dead."

"Not yet." Rufus spat, then suddenly he disappeared into thin air. Bigby's hands were grasping nothing so it clearly was not invisibility.

"Dammit, not again!" Bigby growled, pounding the floor with his fist once in anger. "You're not getting away from me this time!"

Since the elevator was inoperable for now, he chose to simply just down the building, thanking the deities in charge of this world that he had one hell of a pain threshold.

"Hey Rod, I need a favor." Wendy said as she strolled into a room in the Woodland. This room looked like a business conference room, except all the lights were off. The only light was coming from the window, showing a table with a silhouetted man seated at a chair working on a computer.

"Ah, Fourth Wall, usually people knock before they enter a room." The man at the computer said, his face hidden by the shadows and computer.

"I'm the only one in Fabletown who even knows this room exists. And I have a name just like you you know. Or would you like to be called Narrator all the time?"

"It doesn't matter what people call me, my role is only to make the story accessible to the reader. What are you here for?"

"I need you to focus in on a specific target Rod. Get them on the screen so that I can get to them and solve this problem." Wendy explained.

"Do I look like Deus Ex Machina?" Rod asked, still typing. "Why don't you seek him if you need a quick fix?"

"You know how he works, and I don't want to have him be involved this soon in the story." Wendy explained.

"The Author has a plan Fourth Wall, our job is not to interfere but to let it carry out." Rod replied.

Wendy huffed. "Well if you're not going to help me solve this my way, can you give me some clues about how to solve this the 'right' way?"

"One second please." Rod said, speeding up his typing a little more. With a final tap, a young girl appeared beside his desk. This girl had long blonde hair and wore a black dress, and she looked about 11 years old. "Fourth Wall, this is Spoiler."

"Hi Fourth Wall." The girl said with a friendly way. "Ooh do I have permission to tell something?"

"One thing Spoiler and one thing only. If Fourth Wall accepts the risk." Rod claimed, then looked to Wendy. "Spoiler can tell you anything about what hasn't already been revealed, but there is always a cost."

"Do you take cash or card?" Wendy replied sarcastically. "A child's life is on the line Rod, will this cost affect him?"

"Not unless you make it affect him."

"What do you want to know?" Spoiler asked, looking at Wendy with hopeful eyes.

"Let me check." Wendy scrolled up to get the exact name. "Rufus Range, he just escaped Bigby Wolf and is off screen. I won't know where he is until the Author wants me to, and I choose not to wait for that. Where is he?"

Spoiler's eyes glowed red and blue interchangeably much like a police's siren, then stopped. "Spoiler Alert! That man is back inside the first floor of the Woodland! He's hurt and looking for Harry."

"Who's closest to him right now?" Wendy asked.

"One question only Fourth Wall." Rod reminded her.

"Oh c'mon Narrator, I can't stop with just one reveal." Spoiler objected, letting her eyes go red and blue again. "Rufus Range is actually-"

Rod tapped the computer and the young girl went away.

"Jerk!" Spoiler's voice was heard in the process, but nothing else was heard.

"You have your intel Fourth Wall." Rod told Wendy. "Now you better get to work."

"Thanks anyway Rod." She said.

"Before you go, however." Rod continued, standing up and walking away from the computer. He could be seen wearing a suit but his face was still hidden. "Remember what I told you Wendy, spoilers always come with a cost. There's a reason people prefer not to get them. And Literals and Fables are different. We structure the story, they experience it. You can't toe the line and get away with it forever."

Wendy smirked. "As you said, I'm the Fourth Wall. Being in both worlds at the same time is my nature." She then vanished into thin air.

Rod then took out a cigarette and smoked. "Fourth Wall or not, if the readers don't like you, you won't last long."

* * *

"Whoa Bigby, what the heck happened to you?" Flycatcher asked when he saw the sheriff of Fabletown walk into the Woodland clearly looking hurt.

"I jumped off the roof. Tell me, did you see the man I was last with?"

Flycatcher shook his head. "Sorry I was paying attention to the buffet. But Snow looked like she was out for blood."

"Where is she?" Bigby asked.

"I think her office."

"Good, then she's aware of the situation too and Wendy surely is as well. I'm going to check on Harry myself then."

Bigby walked off, his pain fading as he did so until he could walk normally. As he did he closed his eyes and took a deep sniff, hoping that the wizard was still nearby. He most likely wasn't if he was escaping, but if he was foolish enough to come back to Fabletown on today of all days then he was probably committed to finishing the job.

The building was flooded with scents, so many that even a seasoned bloodhound would have some trouble finding a specific one quickly. But Bigby was more than a bloodhound, he was a wolf. Not just any wolf, the Big Bad Wolf. And he had a fresh sample to help his nose narrow it down. He held out the confiscated wand from the wizard and used it to hone in on the scent.

"Mr. Wolf, what are you doing?"

Bigby opened his eyes and saw a confused Dumbledore not too far from him.

"Someone is here trying to kill my grandson, and if you really want us to believe you care about Harry you'll help me find and take down this wizard."

Dumbledore's eyes widened then he nodded. "May I see the wand? I think I can get some information out of it."

Bigby handed it over and Dumbledore looked it over. He wasn't a wand expert, he couldn't begin to tell you what it was made out of, but he knew there were no specific identifying traits on it so it could have been made anywhere or used by anyone. But there were other things this could tell him.

Channeling a small amount of magic into it, the tip of the wand glowed. Dumbledore took out his wand, which was much more unique than other wands, and held the tip to the glowing part until it glowed too. He canceled the spell and his wand continued to glow.

"There, I've managed to copy this wizard's magical signature. Give me a moment and I'll be able to find him if he's still within the vicinity." Dumbledore claimed.

"Get started then, I'm using my own method." Bigby told him, closing his eyes and sniffing the air again. His nose just told him that someone had gone by, but it wasn't his target and Dumbledore had said nothing, so he continued to look for the one scent he needed.

* * *

Having done a quick apparation, Rufus had reappeared by the entrance of the Woodland. For a moment he considered leaving and bailing out on his objective for the foreseeable time, but another part of him insisted on doing this while he still could. The boy was guarded but no one here seemed to use magic like wizards did. All he needed was one good shot.

Acting quickly, Rufus reentered the building and quickly headed up the stairs for several floors, wanting to find somewhere to hide before Bigby could find him on the way down from the roof. After that he'd search for the Potter boy, he could only be in the main hall right now until he was transferred somewhere safer.

"Who the hell are you?"

Rufus turned around, seeing a woman in a fancy light pink dress with long black hair. She looked like she should have been done in the ballroom rather than here in the hallway.

While he lacked a wand, Rufus was not without a weapon. He took a knife out of a concealed holder and brandished it, frightening the woman. "Where does Harry Wolf live?"

"What do you want with Harry?" She asked, stepping back.

Rufus closed the gap between them and grabbed her arm, holding the knife to her neck. "Take me to his apartment now!"

"Okay okay, please don't kill me."

The two began to walk forward, but soon Rufus made them stop. He turned around, seeing an empty hall. He began walking again only to stop and look behind himself again.

"Can any Fables turn invisible?" He asked his hostage. "I know I can hear someone else walking in here."

"Not that I know of." She said, looking around wondering if someone invisible was really there.

Rufus forced her to lead the way again, this time hearing nothing. That made him move faster.

* * *

Wendy appeared and to her surprise she was in Snow's office. Snow could be seen holding a longsword and she was standing by a clearly drunk Bufkin who was nearly passed out by her desk surrounded by bottles.

"Dammit, this isn't where I'm supposed to be." She groaned.

"Wendy, why are you here? Is Harry safe?" Snow asked.

"No, the wannabe murderer is still after him. I know where he is but when I tried to get to him I was brought here instead."

A thought came to Wendy, making her facepalm then look upwards. "That's the cost of the spoiler isn't it? I have to get to him the hard way? And you can't even be specific on which floor he's on? Geez Author, it's just fanfiction not a graphic novel."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Snow demanded, getting annoyed.

"I'll tell you all about it later, assuming Bigby gives me the okay. For now, follow me. I at least know where the jerk is going and pray the Author lets us get there first."

Snow nodded and the two women left the office, with an intoxicated flying monkey wondering how much beer he had left.

* * *

"I have a lock sir." Dumbledore stated, getting Bigby's attention. "He's in this very building, several stories up."

"He's trying to find Harry. Or Harry's home so he can stage an ambush." Bigby claimed.

The two men moved up the stairs, with Dumbledore running faster than one would expect of a man his age.

* * *

"Here, this is the place."

Rufus stood in front of a closed door, still holding the Fable woman hostage. "You certain?"

"Yes, of course. I've seen Harry several times over the years." The scared woman insisted.

"Can you open the door?"

"Are you a tourist? No one in New York leaves their door unlocked."

"Can you unlock it?" He clarified, pressing the knife into her neck to emphasize his need. A tiny bit of blood dripped down her skin.

"No I can't. You know you'll never get away with this right?" She asked.

"Put your hands up!"

Rufus and his hostage turned to see Wendy and Snow stand down the hall, Wendy holding a pistol and Snow holding her sword. "Let her go and step away from the door."

Rufus glared at the two women. "Either of you makes a step and this bitch gets cut."

Wendy fired her gun, prompting Rufus to duck and let his hostage go. He felt no pain so he quickly concluded she had missed, but he could hear running feet coming his way. Not wanting to take a chance, he turned and tried to run away.

Then all of a sudden, Rufus tripped and collapsed. To Wendy and Snow, it looked like he literally tripped over nothing. At this time Bigby and Dumbledore showed up from the other end of the hall.

"What just happened?" Snow asked.

The air beside Rufus shimmered and then the blonde girl that had been by Mr. Tucci earlier came into view, holding a baseball cap in her hand. "Please don't shoot again, I'm lucky you missed me the first time."

"What are you doing here? Why did you put yourself in danger like that?" Wendy asked.

"You said a kid's in danger. I've been training half my life to save people from trouble." She justified.

"Thank you for your help…. Annie was it?" Snow replied.

"Actually, it's Anna. Annabeth."

Ignoring this, Bigby walked up to Rufus, clenching his fists looking ready to punch him some more. "You're finished Range. If that is your real name."

"Accio portkeys." Dumbledore said, pointing his wand at the downed man. From a pocket flew a key that he caught without directly touching. "There, now we don't have to worry about him escaping. I don't think he's in any frame of mind to apparate right now."

Snow let down her sword and held onto the hostage, who was trembling in fear. "It's okay, he won't hurt you."

"Though you're going to be in trouble later, Rose." Bigby grunted.

Snow looked confused but then she blinked in surprise. "Rose?" She looked right at the scared woman's face and recognized it right away. "Rose? Oh my God, you're alive? What the fuck happened?"

"Save it for later Snow." Bigby told her, taking out some hand cuffs. Rufus tried to fight back but a spell from Dumbledore made that difficult, allowing Bigby to cuff him. "Rufus Range you're under arrest for attempted murder. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you."

"You'll all pay, I swear it." Rufus rued.

"Hold on, this man looks familiar." Dumbledore said, taking a good look at the man. "I think I can help you identify this man Mr. Wolf, but first I'll need to make a little purchase."

"Help yourself."

"You'll never break me Dumbledore." Rufus claimed.

Dumbledore looked at the cuffed man with firm authoritative eyes. "I won't have to, Fabletown will. And from what I've learned from Miss White, they're not as nice as I am."


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Questions Answered

_Fabletown, New York, August 2011_

For the rest of the night Remembrance Day continued as normal with the majority of Fables being unaware of what had been transpiring. At midnight, per Fable tradition, the ball was considered over and the attendees went home. Or out for further celebrations elsewhere.

For a select few, they were brought into Snow's office. The current occupants were Snow, Mayor Cole, Wendy, Bluebeard, an undisguised Rose Red, and an unconscious Bufkin.

"Rose, what has been going on with you? If you weren't dead why not tell me you were alive?" Snow pleaded to her sister, who had taken off her brunette wig revealing short red hair.

Rose refused to give her sister direct eye contact. "Sure, make this all about yourself Snow, as usual."

"You should have told me you know." Bluebeard stated, looking a little insulted by this whole ordeal. Rose did not say a word to him.

The door opened and in walked Bigby along with a drowsy Harry.

"Okay Bigby, we're all here. Now stop stalling already." Snow commanded.

Bigby took a drag off his cigarette for a moment. "Okay, first thing I need to tell you is Mr. Range is being held in our detention area with Piper and Bo currently standing guard. I haven't heard back from Dumbledore, he must have gone to the wizarding section of New York to get what he needs. So Harry and everyone else is safe, though I am going to be keeping a closer eye on him for the time being."

Harry fidgeted but didn't look ungrateful for the concern.

"As for the part about Rose, I can tell you exactly what happened with her now." Bigby continued. "Now, bear with me here, right now I have that one opportunity very cop wishes to have, the parlor scene. That one moment when they can tell a whole room of people how they solved the crime. So pardon any dramatics I might do here."

The sheriff paused to clear his throat. "Now, I've been doing this job since we settled here in America, back when this city was still called New Amsterdam. During that time, I've never been in a gunfight, never been in a car chase, never did any of that stuff you see on the cop shows or Die Hard movies. But I have experience in spades, and let me tell you, this case has been suspicious since the first moment."

"How so?" Cole asked.

"Well sir, let's start with the very first moment. My office is here in the Woodland, while Rose's apartment is on Grimm Street. That distance covers roughly half of Fabletown. Yet Jack took a cab to get here from the apartment, acting like he was in a hurry. Not unrealistic, but when he got to me he was out of breath and sweaty like he had been running. Jack's in good shape, he wouldn't exhaust himself like that with what little running he had actually done."

Snow found herself nodding.

"Jack needed me to believe that he had to rush to my office like it was a matter of life or death. He needed me to believe that what he saw truly got him worked up. And like a kid faking sick to stay home from school, he overacted."

"I told him to be subtle." Rose muttered under her breath.

"So already aware that something was off, I went to Rose's apartment. It was immediately obvious to me that the crime scene was staged, and like Jack, it was overacted. Blood was splattered everywhere, on virtually every possible surface, yet there were no footprints in the blood. Jack himself had said he had already been inside the apartment, confirming that Rose was not in the bedroom."

"Couldn't he have been trying to preserve evidence?" Cole asked.

Bigby shook his head. "Not a chance. If you had thought that your girlfriend had been brutally attacked your first priority would have been to make sure she was safe, not that evidence was preserved. And even if by chance Jack _w__as_ preserving evidence, an actual murderer couldn't have done something like that without themselves or Rose stepping in the blood too. Speaking of which, all that evidence there, Jack was the one who set up the scene."

"Why do you say that?" Snow asked.

"Harry, since you had to do the scene recreation, do you want to tell this part?" Bigby offered.

The eleven year old stepped up and cleared his throat. "Well, all the furniture looked like it was knocked over, but aside from some tears and broken glass there was little actual damage done. The lamp was on its side but the bulb was intact, an ashtray was far from the table but wasn't even chipped, and the stereo system was the only thing that didn't have a drop of blood on it."

"Not to mention the CDs on the floor were all the ones in the back of her collection, instead of the ones near the front that would have been much easier to grab in an actual struggle." Bigby added. "Rose was obviously unwilling to damage and replace her favorites, the ones she would put in the front since she'd listen to them the most often. Just the lack of blood on that area alone made it clear Rose intended to use the stereo again, which is something she wouldn't have on her mind in a legit struggle to save herself from a murderer. The whole scene was staged and Rose was in on it."

Snow looked to her sister. "Why on earth would you fake your own death?"

"I'm getting to that." Bigby cut off. "Now Snow, at the time, all the evidence told me was that Rose was a part of setting up the scene. She obviously had input given the lack of blood on the stereo and in her kitchen. Yes, her toaster and some glasses were brought out of the kitchen and banged up good, but no damage or blood was in the kitchen itself. But that wasn't enough to prove she was still alive. There was still a chance she had been killed after the scene was staged."

"But why would that happen?" Cole asked.

"Maybe Rose wanted to fake her death but her killer wanted the real thing and saw the scene as a great red herring. Anyway, my nose said it was definitely Rose's blood so I had to consider the possibility, then I had Harry and his friends recreate the scene to find out how much blood had actually been spilled before things went bad. Harry, how much blood did you use to make an exact replica?"

"Five or six pints, enough to kill a normal person."

Bigby nodded. "We knew the scene was staged, but we obviously had reason to suspect Rose was dead. The amount of blood was the one part where Jack and Rose had truly outsmarted me."

"But then I figured out the missing part." Harry said with some pride. "According to Google, the average person can give a pint of blood every six weeks without any harm. If Rose wanted to, she could collect her own blood little by little until she had enough to make it look like she couldn't possibly have survived. Grandpa said it was possible but where could she have kept it? I reminded him of the busted lock he found in the kitchen, one that matched holes found on the freezer."

Bigby nodded. "Rose likes to party, so I didn't think anything of a padlock on her fridge. Who wouldn't want to protect their food from nosy guests on a regular basis? But as Harry pointed out, the padlock was removed and put into a utility drawer, not flung across the room. It wasn't removed as part of a set-up, it was removed because it was no longer needed. And that meant that inside the freezer was Rose's own blood, kept there over the course of thirty weeks proving that this whole thing was planned well in advance."

"Why did you do it Rose?" Snow asked.

"Mind if I have a crack at that Rose? Just to see if I got it right?" Bigby asked.

The redhead looked a little distant right now, like she had given up. "Go ahead, you've figured out all this so far."

"Okay, the simple fact is from day one I was never looking for her killer. I was looking for whoever would make her want to fake her death in the first place. Here's my theory. Over a year ago, Jack had another of his get-rich-quick schemes, this one a dotcom business."

"Seriously?" Wendy asked.

Bigby nodded. "Yep, leave it to Jack to think he can win where everyone else has failed. Naturally he needed money to get it off the ground, so he turned to Rose for a handout. He talked her into it, but she didn't have enough to give him what he asked for, not without going broke herself. So then they had their break-up, done where everyone would see it and be aware of it of course, and not too long later Rose ends up with Bluebeard."

The aforementioned man looked at the redhead, not liking the direction this was going.

"Bluebeard being the romantic he is wanted to marry her in no time, but Rose convinced him to let their engagement last a year first. She had him write up a contract, and Bluebeard what were the terms of it again?"

"That our engagement be kept secret for a whole year, and she receive a cash dowry up front. In return we would still be allowed to have sex during that year and Rose would speak on my behalf regarding any requests I had from our deputy-mayor."

Bigby nodded. "That gave Jack the money he needed, and time for Rose to make enough to pay you back and end the engagement without repercussion. However, Jack lost the money, like anyone but Rose could have seen him doing."

Rose had the good grace to look humiliated.

"So the year began to dwindle down, and Rose knew it would come time to make good on the marriage. And of course, she knew Bluebeard wasn't exactly going to just let her off the hook if she tried to get out of it. Especially if he knew all this. So she and Jack came up with this scheme to cover their asses."

"What about the dead body in my apartment? How did it get there?" Snow asked.

"The how is still unclear, but my best guess is Rose herself snuck into your apartment and planted it there, though I'm sure she had some help." Bigby answered. "As for who it was, allow me to show you."

Bigby opened the door to the office, and in came a blonde woman in a wheelchair that none of them recognized. She had several bandages and a cast around her neck, showing she hadn't been out of the hospital for long. "Everyone, meet Jack's first partner in crime, Jill."

"Jack came to me about the loan first and I told him no, so he must have gone to Rose next." Jill explained, her voice rough and gravelly. "Then the other day he came to me again begging for more, and it got aggressive. Next thing I know I'm falling and break my neck, then I wake up in Swineheart's clinic and the sheriff tells me I was used as a prop to fake Rose Red's death."

Bigby nodded. "That's how I learned about Jack and Rose's motive in all this. Jill's nearly dead body gave them an opportunity to throw me off that they couldn't pass up. After they used some wizard stuff to make her look like Rose of course. That must have been expensive though. They just didn't count on her surviving all that."

"In summary, Miss Red faked her death just to get out of keeping a promise she never intended to keep in the first place, right Grandpa?" Harry asked, and Bigby nodded.

"Did you really think this was going to work Rose?" Snow asked.

"It only had to work long enough for me and Jack to find another way to make the money. I needed something to help me avoid the deadline." She answered, ignoring the infuriated look on Bluebeard's face.

"All you were doing was trying to get out of one hole by digging another." Wendy stated.

"Well we can't all fly like your ex-boyfriend can we?" Rose snapped.

Wendy glared and grabbed her gun, only for Bigby to roar. "Stop!" Wendy looked to him and sighed before putting away her gun.

"Behave everyone, this isn't Jerry Springer!" Bigby warned. "So Mayor Cole, Deputy-mayor White, now that you know what happened I believe you can take over from here."

"Yes, we will." Snow stated. Wendy moved to place cuffs on Rose again to make it less likely she'd try to escape.

"Thank you for your time everyone, now please enjoy what's left of the night." Bigby said to everyone else.

* * *

Dumbledore had a little trouble finding the wizarding section of New York, but once he did find it he wasn't that surprised about it's location. According to the taxi driver he had used to get there, who was a wizard by the way, the magical community was located all along the perimeter of Central Park. It made sense, since historically wizards preferred to live close to natural areas and magic was rumored to be strongest in those sorts of places.

Like Fabletown, the wizarding area had a muggle front for the non-magical people in the area to use and be none the wiser. But behind it was where the wizards had their shops and residences, concealed with charms and bigger-on-the-inside spells. Some such places were also hidden inside the park itself. Dumbledore had found a drug store and of course in the hidden back there had been a potions shop.

"Here you go." The clerk said, handing him a small bottle of potion while Dumbledore gave him some of his remaining dragots.

"Thank you." Dumbledore replied, pocketing the potion. "By the way sir, could I ask you something?"

"I've got time, shoot."

"Do you know of Fabletown?"

The clerk looked surprised to hear that. "Of course I do, who doesn't?"

"I'm not exactly from around here. What do you think of Fabletown?"

"I haven't been there in years. But I've got nothing bad to say about them. Though there have been people that have complained about them before."

"How so?" Dumbledore asked, curious.

The clerk shrugged. "I can't remember anything specific. Usually most people just make jokes or comments about the stories they're in. They have been pretty helpful in helping us find more ways to be less dependent on magic for everything. Most Fables can go years without ever using magic."

Dumbledore blinked. 'Wow, and I myself can barely get dressed in the morning without at least one spell.'

"Because of that and the low birth rate, I remember hearing about a vote a few years ago where MACUSA considered removing the fifth dorm from Ilvermorny, but that bill didn't pass." The clerk continued.

Dumbledore blinked again. "Wait, did you say fifth dorm? I thought Ilvermorny was modeled after Hogwarts and had four dorms too."

"Sure, back in the beginning. But after wizards and Fables started their alliance long ago, a fifth dorm was added as a way to symbolically include the Fables as a part of Magical America. The only downside is children are usually only born once every decade in Fabletown, or so I've been told. So it's not only Fables who get to be in that dorm."

"That… is quite interesting." Dumbledore commented. "Thank you for your time."

He left the store and with luck managed to get another cab that took him back to Fabletown. As he walked into the Woodland he saw some people exiting already, likely having decided they were done for the night and returning home, and he approached Grimble at the front desk.

"I've got something that the sheriff can use in interrogating the prisoner."

Grimble moved his hat to look at the wizard. "Holding cells are downstairs."

"Where downstairs?"

"You'll find it when you get there." Grimble said, covering his eyes with his hat again.

Not getting more, Dumbledore decided to go with it and went to the stairs, going down to the lower floor. He wasn't sure where to go from there, but seeing two people by a door gave him a good idea where to start.

"Excuse me, is this where the prisoner is being held?" He asked.

"Yeah, we're guarding him on behalf of our boss. I'm Bo Peep and this is Pied Piper."

"Is Mr. Wolf going to be long?"

Piper shrugged. "Hopefully not, but I'd get comfortable if you're going to be waiting for him."

Dumbledore nodded and conjured up a chair to sit on. "So how's the prisoner?"

"Right where he should..." Bo replied, turning to look on through the window for good measure. "… be?" Her eyes widened and she looked more thoroughly inside. "He's gone!"

"What?" Piper asked, almost pushing her aside to look through as well. "I don't believe it. He's gone."

"Hold it, let me check for something." Dumbledore said, getting up. "Open the door, slowly."

Bo and Piper did just that, and when it was open enough Dumbledore went inside. "Accio invisibility cloak." He said with his wand out.

There was no reaction.

He then walked out of the room with them closing the door behind him. "I was wrong. Somehow that man has indeed escaped."

"First Jack and now this. Miss White is not going to be happy." Bo rued.

* * *

Morning came and so far no rumors had spread about the event. Dumbledore didn't get a chance to speak to Bigby so he went back to the hotel. Bigby himself was more than a little upset that the man who came here to attack Harry had somehow escaped again. There was no trail to sniff out or search, so Bigby couldn't even begin to look for him. As a result, he had to call it a night and just keep Harry safe.

Now, Bigby and Harry were eating breakfast while Colin was seen sleeping on the couch. So Bigby considered that part at least a success.

The doorbell rang and Bigby went to answer it, seeing Dumbledore on the other side. Opening the door he naturally checked the scent to confirm it was really him.

"Hello Mr. Wolf, I'm sorry about what happened. I still cannot figure out how he did that. There were no portkeys and I checked for anti-apparition wards." Dumbledore greeted, then looked to Harry. "Harry, can I have a word with you?"

He put down his fork and looked to the old man. "I suppose. What do you want to talk about?"

"For starters, I want to say I'm glad that you weren't harmed last night. You weren't scared were you?"

Harry shrugged. "A little, but I was sure everyone would get the guy this time. And if he got here I was ready to defend myself."

"That's good to hear. Do you know anything about this man?"

"Only that he apparently worked at Ilvermorny. Right Grandpa?" Harry asked.

"Allegedly. I reported the case to MACUSA and asked them to confirm his alias, but it will take time to get confirmation. But he did seem rather familiar with the war Dumbledore was in and he expressed sympathy towards the dark lord in it."

"He may have been a Death Eater that fled British law." Dumbledore theorized. "Though I fear what this could mean for Harry if Death Eaters truly have gotten into Ilvermorny."

Bigby leaned back a little. "Can you promise that there are no Death Eaters in Hogwarts?"

Dumbledore did his best to not fidget. "There is no one loyal to the dark lord under my employ."

"That's not what I asked Dumbledore." Bigby warned.

The old wizard silently sighed. "Alright, I do have one professor who used to be a member, but he abandoned the organization before the war ended. He just couldn't follow Voldemort any more. I can assure you he has my complete trust."

"Still, it's a Death Eater that will have easy access to Harry if he were to go to your school." Bigby contemplated.

"Look at it this way, there is only one at Hogwarts and I can do everything in my power to assure you he will be no threat. On the other hand you don't know how many Death Eaters are in Ilvermorny and have no way to guarantee Harry's safety without asking for too much from the administration."

Bigby and Harry looked at each other for a moment, then Bigby looked back to Dumbledore. "We'll think about it, but you do make a good point."

Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see if I can get a proper English breakfast rather than an American one."

"Don't think I want to know what that is." Harry said, enjoying some bacon.

* * *

Snow was in a foul mood, going over the loose ends of the recent events. Fortunately Cole trusted her judgment so she wasn't going to get much hassle over her choices, but a lot of people were going to be unhappy with her choices.

But at least there was one person she didn't mind too much seeing be unhappy.

"This is all I get?" Charming asked when he got a check, given to him by Snow at the I Am The Eggman diner. The check in question was his payment for putting his lands up for sale in the raffle. Which came to a disappointing total of less than $33,000.

"Yes, after a few legal deductions of course." Snow told him, pausing to sip some coffee. "We had to pay back Bluebeard for Jack and Rose's theft. And since they couldn't, we used this. Think of it as Jack and Rose now owe you money instead of owing him money if that makes you feel better. Also we had to cover the expenses of the investigation, and again blame Jack and Rose for not making this a cheap one."

"But none of that was my responsibility." Charming argued.

"No, it wasn't. But that money started as Fabletown property first. You didn't put your lands up for sale directly, you auctioned them off as a Fabletown event. That means we get first cut and you get the profit. If you wanted the profit to be bigger, you should have done an independent lottery, not a sponsored one."

Charming muttered some profanities under his breath but pocketed the money.

"As for Jack and Rose paying you back what we had to give to Bluebeard, I have a suggestion." Snow continued, getting her ex-husband's attention. "I just mentioned to Rose that a sign of charitable donations, such as the giving of land to someone, might be enough to allow for a reduced sentence. Meaning she'd get something less degrading than scrapping the barnacles off the Hamilton for the next decade. I presume you getting your kingdom back free of charge if Rose takes the hint would suffice, would it not?"

Charming didn't smile, but he didn't disagree. "When did you become such a bitch Snow?"

She stood up casually. "I'm sure we both remember the exact moment that happened Charming. Now, I'm going back to work. You can cover the check for once."

Done with that meeting, Snow headed back into the Woodland, where she was greeted by Bigby and Bluebeard outside her office.

"So Miss White, what do you wish to discuss?" Bluebeard asked.

Snow opened the door and led the two men in. "Bluebeard, I have something for you, but it won't come without conditions." She sat down and opened a drawer in her desk, holding a check. "This is the repayment for the money Rose swindled out of you. You can take this and all will be normal again, but the matter will be officially dropped. Meaning you can't take action against Jack or Rose again regarding this crime."

Bluebeard clasped his hands together. "Out of curiosity, what will happen if I don't accept this?"

"Bluebeard, if you're holding onto some hope that you can still marry Rose, let me ask you this. Why? She went to all this effort to get out of that arrangement, is that a woman you want as a wife?"

"Plus let me remind you that you were caught redhanded in trying to kill Jack while he was a prisoner and that helped him to escape." Bigby pointed out. "That is still considered a crime, but one could make the argument that you were caught up in the heat of the moment and not fully responsible for your own mentality. If you accept the reimbursement, I'll be inclined to accept a plea of 'momentary insanity'."

Bluebeard frowned. "You're blackmailing me."

"Bluebeard, you're a victim in all this, but we're trying to get things back to normal. Rose will still be punished and Jack will still be arrested once we find him, and this way you're no worse off than you were before. What more could you want?" Snow asked.

Bluebeard took a few breaths, then held out his hand. Snow handed him the check and he pocketed it. "What will be their punishments?"

"Community service for Rose since we can't fine or imprison her. Jack's sentence will be determined once we catch him, and should he commit further crimes we may just send him to MACUSA's prison."

"I'd say we ask Dumbledore to take him to England." Bigby commented.

"Good day Deputy-mayor." The bald man said before departing from the office.

Snow slumped in her chair. "Huh, that could have gone worse. Now I just got to figure out what to do about Jack." There was a knock at the door, making her sigh. "Come in."

The door opened and in walked Dumbledore, accompanied by Harry. "Hello, is this a bad time?"

Snow leaned back. "Not the best, but if you're here for what I think you are, I can spare you the time." Dumbledore came in and took a seat, with Harry standing off to the side not far from Bigby. "Let me guess, you've figured out how to accommodate our concerns regarding Harry if he chooses to attend your school?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I've spoken with some people and have much better insight now. Harry will not undergo anything that forbids him from leaving Hogwarts should the school become unsafe or unfulfilling for him. His dorm will meet the standards of Fabletown for himself and other students who live there, and I am willing to allow a few of his friends here to join him so he feels less alone."

Snow nodded and looked to the young boy. "Harry, can you think of anyone who'd be willing to go with you in such an event?"

He shrugged. "Just Coraline and Jane. Jake's needed here and Percy won't leave his mom."

Snow nodded and motioned for Dumbledore to continue.

"I will implement a class to teach wizards about Fables, and I have here a list of qualifications on appropriate teachers, as well as others that might help in other ways." The old wizard said, pulling out a piece of paper that he handed to the brunette woman. "I will also ensure that Harry, when he is ready, will receive classes that are geared towards his personal goals and the goals of Fabletown. Oh, and that he receives proper medication for diseases at my home as well as can get to the school and supplies needed for it. I don't think he'll need more."

"I have a suggestion." Bigby mentioned, getting everyone's attention. "Diplomatic immunity."

"Diplomatic immunity?" Dumbledore repeated. "Why would he need that?"

"Just a precaution. If he gets in trouble with anything and someone outside your school wants to do something about it, they won't be able to. Any punishment Harry needs, that's for us to decide, not your government."

Dumbledore was silent for a moment. "It will raise some questions, but I'm sure Harry would face some regardless."

"You want animals?" Snow asked, looking at the list given to her.

Dumbledore nodded. "Mostly to show the variety among Fables, plus each dorm has an animal mascot. It might help the students open up to the Fables if they have something in common. There is however one thing I would like to ask of you though."

"What is that?" Snow asked.

"I have a rather unorthodox thought regarding Harry's dorm. Hogwarts along with most magical schools have four dorms that reflect differing values among the students and teachers, but I've learned that Ilvermorny has five, one inspired by Fabletown. I too have been inspired by Fabletown, I am in awe of a magical community that can keep up with the muggle society and incorporate the two together. I think my culture can learn a lot from yours, and I think one way to get started is to create a fifth dorm in Hogwarts, one that reflects Fabletown values and lifestyles."

"So a little bit of New York in Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "Modified of course, but compatible. Also think about the primary value of the house. Gryffindor values courage and honor, Ravenclaw values intelligence and wit, Hufflepuff values loyalty and patience, and Slytherin values cunning and power. What would the Fable house value?"

Harry grinned. "That's easy, the same thing Fabletown stands for. Freedom and hope."

Dumbledore blinked. "Freedom and hope?"

Harry nodded. "That's the whole reason Fabletown exists in the first place. Freedom from tyranny and dictators, and hope for the return home. Everyone who calls Fabletown home does so because of those."

Snow smiled. "Nicely said Harry. Maybe you should speak at the next Remembrance Day." She looked to Dumbledore. "Can you really build a new dorm in less than a month?"

"It will be a challenge and it will not be cheap, but if you were to provide some help and part of the funds then I believe it would be possible."

Snow and Bigby looked to each other, then to Harry. "Harry, do you want to go to this school?"

The young boy straightened up a little. "I gotta admit I do feel safer about going there than to Ilvermorny right now, and it would be nice to see where Mom and Dad went to school."

Snow smiled. "Alright Dumbledore, I'll see what we can provide, though I can't promise anything on the funds."

"I think I can cover some of that." Bigby added.

Snow looked to him. "How can you do that?"

"I have my ways."

Snow frowned. "Fine, but when we have a moment you better tell me." She then looked to Dumbledore. "And don't think this means Harry will fight that dark lord you're afraid of. You're the adult, you do it."

"It may not be as easy as you think it is." Dumbledore said. "Anyway, I should return home and get started on everything if I want to be done by the beginning of the school year. Can anyone come with me to help make sure the Fable dorm is set to your standards?"

Bigby nodded. "Yes, Wendy. I already asked her to go along with Harry as security if he accepts. So she'd be perfect."

"Jane will have to go with her too you know." Harry noted. Bigby just nodded.

Dumbledore smiled. "Excellent. Now, I'll just wait for them to be ready and-"

"There's no need for that. Wendy and Jane have their own ways of traveling." Bigby assured. "They'll meet you in London, kind of like how they met you here."

Confused, the old wizard at least accepted it. "Alright then, I best be on my way. Thank you for your hospitality, and I look forward to seeing Harry attend my school."


End file.
